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["Lon J. Rombough" <lonrom@hevanet.com>]

I got some blue orchard bees some years ago and they did splendidly for a while.  Then I found that they were being parasitized through the paper tubes by a tiny wasp.  So I tried using wooden blocks, which did help a lot.  Finally tried some plastic lumber and drilled 5/16 inch holes in a block cut from a plastic 4x4.  That one has stayed out behind a building and keeps having bees year after year after year.  Now I find the bees in any crevice, cranny, etc. all over the place.  Given the actual number of bees around, I have to assume they have reached some sort of equilibrium with the parasitic wasps.  Even so, they pollinate the fruit about as well as anything could.  In good years, trees can be loaded to breaking.
-Lon Rombough
Grapes, writing, consulting, my book, The Grape Grower, at http://www.bunchgrapes.com  Winner of the Garden Writers Association "Best Talent in Writing" award for 2003.
On Jul 29, 2005, at 5:07 PM, Richard MURPHY wrote:

<x-tad-bigger>Hello again Clan;</x-tad-bigger>
<x-tad-bigger> </x-tad-bigger>
<x-tad-bigger>An observation to share...</x-tad-bigger>
<x-tad-bigger> </x-tad-bigger>
<x-tad-bigger>Learned about Mason Bees 2 years ago; never gave them much thought.</x-tad-bigger>
<x-tad-bigger>Bought 3 'bee houses' from Fedco, for $8 each, April 17, 2005, for a trial.</x-tad-bigger>
<x-tad-bigger>(They use the design published be the Univ. of Maine extension, free.)</x-tad-bigger>
<x-tad-bigger>Put one house up on 3 of the 4 sides of the orchard fence with a 1' x 2' wind blocking board so they can land.</x-tad-bigger>
<x-tad-bigger>Turned over 4 shovels of dirt below the house so the bees would have building material.</x-tad-bigger>
<x-tad-bigger>May, no residents yet. June, still none.</x-tad-bigger>
<x-tad-bigger>July....WOW ! all 3 houses have some holes filled in with bee eggs!</x-tad-bigger>
<x-tad-bigger>This is very cool.</x-tad-bigger>
<x-tad-bigger>There is a ton of clover around so they don't wander off.</x-tad-bigger>
<x-tad-bigger>I will now make 20 of these blocks myself, as they are simple to make.</x-tad-bigger>
<x-tad-bigger>I thought this was bee baloney, but they actually did move in.</x-tad-bigger>
<x-tad-bigger> </x-tad-bigger>
<x-tad-bigger>Murph    zone 4 Maine</x-tad-bigger>
<x-tad-bigger> </x-tad-bigger>
<x-tad-bigger>PS.. they do better mason work than I'll ever do...really smooth.</x-tad-bigger>
<x-tad-bigger> </x-tad-bigger>