A common way of obtaining mason bees is by trap- nesting wild populations. Trap nests are set out in the fall or winter in locations that have good num- bers of wild bees, then the nests are removed the following summer. Ideal locations to place nests are on the sides of old barns or wooden farm structures, adjacent to cliff faces, or near other large visual land- marks(figure 6.11). Nests can be hung inside open sheds and garages or on south- and east-facing walls. Nests should be shielded from rain and direct sun- light(figure 6.12).
Figure 6.11 Nests should ideally be placed against the walls of barns, garages, or other large landmarks in bright but indirect sunlight. The irregular lengths, diameters, and colors of these bamboo nest tubes are extremely appealing to mason bees.
Figure 6.12 This typical nest shelter is located against an east-facing wall to encourage flight activity early in the day. Note for figure 6.12: The covered bucket in the upper left hand corner contains filled nest tubes from the previous season. Bees exit through the single hole, where they find the new, clean nest tubes in the adjacent buckets. The yellow bucket buried in front of the shelter holds mud for nest construction. Although the chicken wire provides protection against marauding wood- peckers, it discourages bees and should only be used when necessary.
Eric Mader
Floral sources are also an important consideration when selecting an area to trap wild Osmia. Overgrown abandoned pastures and early-succession meadows with sufficient flowers are especially good and sup- port wild populations of bees. Spring-flying mason bees (such as BOBs) in particular require early-bloom- ing pollen and nectar sources such as willow, cherry, chokecherry, spring flowering raspberries and black- berries, hawthorn, currants, gooseberries, waterleaf, and various penstemon species (figure 6.13).
Ideally nests in wild areas should be camouflaged and marked with the owner’s name. Trap nesting of alfalfa leafcutter bees on public land in western states has occasionally led to theft of bee nests.
Figure 6.13 A typical mason bee nest shelter in a blooming cherry orchard.
A Commercial
Producer’s
Perspective
In addition to his duties as a lecturer at the University of Washington, Evan Sugden is the owner of Entomo-Logic, a company that pro- duces blue orchard bees and rearing hardware. In the following interview Dr. Sugden discusses his experiences in the bee ranching busi- ness, and offers his perspective on the challenges facing this new industry.1. How did you decide to go into the mason bee business?
My interest in solitary bee production and manage- ment was a logical and progressive outgrowth of my training and interests. I received an undergraduate degree in biology and ultimately a PhD in entomol- ogy from U. C. Davis specializing in bee biology and pollination. I have held bee-related positions since then, working in government, private industry, and university research. My official focus has been on honey bees, but since my graduate period I have maintained a strong interest in solitary bee ecology. Twelve years ago I moved to the Pacific Northwest where blue orchard bees are abundant in nature. I had time outside of my regular employment at the University of Washington to delve into bee manage-
ment and was soon producing significant numbers of bees, researching management problems, and cooperating with other producers and scientists in the field.
2. What sets your bees apart from other mason bee vendors?
My basic methods adhere to the recommendations of the best science, namely the work of the USDA Bee Biology & Systematics Lab in Logan, Utah. A working relationship with the lab was part of the foundation of my business. I have modified the USDA protocols to suit my particular operations and local conditions. Specifically, I produce bees in the best quality nest- ing materials and rear them to maturity under opti- mal criteria. Every cocoon is individually inspected before sale. I cull outsized, diseased, and parasitized cocoons. I have direct control over all the bees I har- vest and sell. Each production batch, corresponding to locality, is sampled for overall health, parasite load, and sex ratio. The customer is guaranteed the exact number of bees ordered (or slightly more), a minimum sex ratio, and healthy, vigorous bees kept cool until received.
3. What have been the biggest challenges for you in rearing the bees, and operating the business? And how have you dealt with these challenges?
timing and winter dormancy of non-local BOB popu- lations may also be less than satisfactory.
While the BOB is distributed across most of the northern US, the eastern subspecies is uncommon in many areas—perhaps due to habitat loss—which is one of the reasons why the Japanese hornfaced mason bee (Osmia cornifrons) was imported. Cur- rently, commercial distribution and grower accep- tance of the hornfaced bee is not widespread but is growing. Individuals interested in keeping mason bees east of the Rocky Mountains are advised to either trap nest their local native BOB subspecies or to consider using the hornfaced bee.
Purchased mason bees are typically sold in nest
Perhaps the biggest problem facing the industry is uninformed and unregulated brokerage. Because of the lack of information and the “gold rush” men- tality, there is a tendency to broker bees without any quality control. In the short run, this will result in shortchanging customers. In the long run it will result in bad publicity, hamper acceptance of alterna- tive pollinators, and worst of all, exacerbate disease and parasite problems. I advise potential customers, even if I end up not supplying them with bees, to buy direct from reputable producers who can guarantee quality bees.
5. What do you think is needed for broader acceptance/usage of mason bees as pollinators among commercial growers?
More good science and good publicity. Also, set- ting standards so that customers can know what to expect. We need to get cooperative extension educa- tors on board with good information so they can help educate growers.
In addition to selling bees, Dr. Sugden’s company provides bee and pollination related consulting, as well as scientific illustration and writing.
Entomo-Logic 21323 232nd St., SE Monroe, WA 98272-8982 Phone: (360) 863-8547 http://www.entomologic.com
More commonly, bees are acquired from commer- cial sources, either directly from producers (colloqui- ally called “bee ranchers”) or from retail sources who buy directly from producers (see sidebar, below).
The blue orchard bee is commonly managed as a backyard orchard pollinator. There are a handful of high-profile producers of the bee located in the Pacific Northwest. It is important to note that while these western producers sell bees nationwide, they are in fact selling the western subspecies of this BOB (Osmia lignaria propinqua) outside of its native range. The potential consequences of the western bee hybridizing with its eastern relative, and of parasite and disease movement, are unknown. Emergence
The biggest technical challenge has been dealing with the hairy-fingered mite, Chaetodactylus krombeini. This species reaches very high population levels in my region and can be lethal to the bees. I monitored infestation levels and struggled with control methods for years. I have now developed a method, based on the pioneering biological studies of others, of reduc- ing mites to low or even insignificant levels with sim- ple management during the rearing period. I sell only mite-free bees.
The greatest business challenge has been to decide how large and how fast to grow my business. Until the last two years the market has been slow and very “niche”-oriented. Now demand is increasing quickly so it is a safer decision to grow.
4. What are some of the most frequent ques- tions or technical problems you hear from people keeping mason bees?
I don’t hear much, to tell the truth, beyond hairy-fin- gered mite issues. The industry is young, fragmented, and most producers are still pretty naive about pro- fessional management. My impression is that this shows up in the varied quality of bees sold. We need to talk more, have a producers meeting, establish a newsletter, start an organization. Our problems are similar in some ways to those in the honey bee indus- try, and their solutions will, in the same way, require cooperation among various stakeholders.
tubes (usually cardboard or reed) that have been capped with a mud plug. Occasionally no effort is made by producers to inspect the cocoons within those filled tubes, which may contain parasites, dis- eased bee larvae, poor sex ratios, or even no bees! Ideally, purchased bees should come with some qual- ity assurance and statement of inspection methods. X-ray sampling and loose cocoon examination are common ways in which bee populations are randomly sampled for parasites, diseases, and overall health. Some producers only sell bees as loose cocoons that have been removed from their natal tube. This prac- tice has various advantages and disadvantages (see sidebar, below).
Purchased bees, whether in filled tubes or loose cocoons, will be dormant upon arrival. Prolonged exposure to warm temperatures can result in prema- ture emergence or depletion of energy reserves due to increased metabolic activity—literally resulting in starvation. For this reason, purchased bees are nor- mally only shipped by producers during the winter months. Ideally, dormant bees that are shipped long distances should be mailed in insulated containers containing frozen ice packs. The ice should not be in direct contact with nest tubes or loose cocoons, and care should be taken to prevent damage from condensation or liquid. Upon arrival, dormant bees should remain in cold storage until ready for release.
W
hile most mason beekeep- ers leave the dormant silk- covered cocoons intact within their natal nest tubes, some people choose to remove them prior to placement in cold storage for the winter. This practice, known as loose-cell manage- ment, is more commonly associated with leafcutter bees (see chap- ter 7, page 75, for more infor- mation).An advantage of loose-cell management is that individual cocoons can be inspected and treated for parasites or dis- ease. Some beekeepers claim to effectively control heavy chalkbrood or hairy-fingered mite infestations by immers- ing the loose cocoons in a 5 percent bleach solution for five minutes.
Another advantage of loose cells is that bee ranchers with mixed species (such as blue orchard bees and horn- faced bees) can separate the