Mason Bee Sunday

The month of March is filled with a riot of color and activity. It’s a fresh, youthful, quick-flowing month - the start of something new. In March I do the work; I tend and nurture my family, my garden, and my projects. March is a month for being a physical creature; for feeling all sensations, and being really present in my body - playful and young-in-spirit.

In the winter I dreamed dreams and made plans, but as spring approaches, it's time to get into action.

Agenda 

1. Devotions

2. Beingness 

3. Earth Action

4. Put my bee houses up

5. Release the Mason bees!

1. Devotions: 

I'm reading from two lovely books: Living Earth Devotional, by Clea Dana (2013), and Earth Medicine, by Jamie Sams (1994).

Today Living Earth talks about the nesting instinct that takes over as spring energy grows.

Earth Medicine: Communication - "When we talk with our Relations we are required to know many languages." We talk with people, sing or howl with the Creature Relations, and sense the needs of our Plant Relations.  We also find ways to communicate with Spirits and ancestors. The one language that binds them all together is Love.

2. Beingness:

For Lent I am finding creative ways to make space for Being in Nature.Today: A little bee release ceremony!

3. Earth Action:

Each day I am taking an action for the Earth - Today it is being a hopeful, caring leader of an Earth Action group.

4. Put my bee houses up:

I have two bee houses, one for the front yard and one for the back. 

The purpose of a bee house is to attract solitary bees, who are  extremely docile and up to three times more effective as pollinators.

Some of the most common solitary bees are mason bees, leafcutter bees, and miner bees. Many of these native bees are already a part of the local ecosystem, but providing them with a perfect place to nest in your yard can improve their lives and yours.

Hole-nesting bees need a place that’s dry and safe. Tips:

• 
  Put bee houses on a sturdy wall, fence, or post (bees do not like swinging in the breeze) in a place with an overhang to protect nesting materials from bad weather. 
• Orient it to face the morning sun, as hole-nesting bees need the sun’s warmth to give them energy to fly. Placing two bee houses—each facing a slightly different direction—can produce even better results. 
• Most native bees prefer some afternoon shade, but too much shade could attract hole-nesting wasps. (Solitary wasps are generally considered beneficial predators in a garden, as they attack pests like caterpillars, grubs, and aphids. However, they may also prey on the bee pupae in your bee house.)
• Hang a bee house at eye level, about 5 feet off the ground to protect the bees from small predators, like mice or ants. Plus, these bees are fun to watch!
• Place the house near open blooms (black-eyed Susan, bee balm, or purple coneflower) because Mason bees only fly about 300 feet searching for nectar and pollen.
• Mud is vital for mason bee reproduction, and females will not nest if they do not have a reliable source mud with a high clay content nearby (within 25 - 50 feet).
• Stay away from bird feeders or ponds.

5. Release the Mason Bees!

March 1 is the day to release the cocoons I harvested last fall. Mason bees emerge in early spring when temperatures rise to the 50s and early flowers start to bloom. Mason bees are among the earliest bee species to emerge in the spring, making them essential for spring crops. They forage in low light levels and cool and wet weather, whereas honey bees and leaf-cutter bees tend to show up at the beginning of summer. On average, mason bees forage 2x longer per day than honey bees.

I can release my mason bee cocoons once daily temps are consistently 55°F or warmer (usually late February to mid-March in western Oregon). Freezing temperatures at night do not affect the bees. They will find a safe place to shelter in the evenings.

The other factor is food, in the form of nectar and pollen. A single female mason bee can visit 10,000 - 20,000 flowers in her short lifetime, collecting pollen and nectar to feed her offspring. Research has found that solitary bees have more offspring when lots of floral resources are available, so I need to provide plenty of open blooms nearby for the bees to forage.  
If the bees emerge before the flowers are open, they will either fly elsewhere in search of food or be unable to survive.

Some nesting houses have a protected, predator-proof emergence area (an “attic”) above the nesting tubes where you can place the cocoons. The old cocoons produce a scent that encourages the newly emerged females to choose that nesting house to lay their eggs.