North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[LONGDISTSHTR <longdistshtr@shtc.net>]

Rodney, I don't know about the hulls for my wasps.  It doesn't appear
that I have blue orchard mason bees plugging my shotgun cases after
researching the sites which Mark mentioned. According to Jerry's
description and Mark's 5/16", and Jim's 5/16-3/8" diameter preference
reeds and holes. the 30/06 cases or the only size that fills that
description. ( 243's would be great!) Both the hulls and cases have the
same white (ashen gray?) clay plugging them up. There is only one larva
each. Not comparmentalized with 6-8 larvae. I have yet to see the insect
which does this, but from the description of Jerry and the pictures at
the sites, these are wasps similiar to the "mud daubers" Jim, Jerry and
Pete suggested.
Jim, the mud daubers?? I have seen here put parallel tubes of reddish
brown on sheltered flat surfaces and are filled with narcotized spiders.
These wasps are totally dark blue. They flick their wings repeatedly and
make an irritating sound while they build their tubes. I have also seen
the hoses you described filled with reddish clay.  I believe that these
wasps/bees are different because of the white clay and the selection of
the shallow shells and cases over the deeper hoses.
Incidentally, I just received an informational pamphlet from a bee
keepers organization which sang praises for the "Blue Orchard Bee" for
augmenting the work of honey bees in pollinating  cherry blossoms in
northern Utah. They state that Osmia lignaria works the blossoms when
Apis melliferia stay in the hive because of bad weather. They authored a
book available from the U. of Vermont, Burlington; "How to Manage the
Blue Orchard Bee as an Orchard Pollinator" (802) 656-0484.
Thanks for all the advice and info to all about these pesky wasps. I
guess that they are just that, pests. Not my luck to be raising orchard
bees.
Doc Lisenby
Zone 7/8 Upper So.Car.