We set up a little nest box in the backyard beside the cherry tree and apple tree. Mason bees are called "mason" bees because rather than building their own nests, they lay their eggs in small holes, and then pack dirt around the egg to seal it up. The nest boxes are the perfect size for them to fit in to and lay a row of eggs.
The coccoons. We put these out near the nest boxes during the first warm spell in the Spring.
A little Mason bee in the nest. They took fairly well to the nest. At first I wasn't sure whether or not they were going to, and a number of coccoons didn't hatch. A few weeks later, the openings on some the holes started to get filled over with mud from the bees. Mason bees don't sting at all, and don't make honey. They just pollinate.
A few of the holes covered over. We started with 20 coccoons. Not all of them hatched. About 10 holes got filled in, and I think there is 5 coccoons per hole, so will start with 50 next year.
Unwanted wasps under the roof of the house. Nice hive.
It's hard to say how well the Mason bees have worked. The cherries were in full bloom when the Mason bees were out, and they should have been busy. The weather fell apart during the apple blossoms. The bumblebees pollinated the blueberries and raspberries.
Looks like we may do ok for blueberries.
Should be a bumper crop for raspberries.
This is about the extent of the cherries on our 2 trees. I don't think pollination is an issue, but there is something eating the leaves and blossoms. The apples didn't fair well either. Funny enough there are a couple of branches from cheery trees extending on to our yard from our neighbours, and they have more cherries on those limbs than both our trees combined.
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