I haven't posted anything about this garden in quite a while. Before I get into the success (or not!) of my vegetable gardening, I want to say something about Orchard or Mason Bees, which I took an interest in a few years ago, and which have amply paid me back for that interest. Orchard bees are native bees, active generally in the spring, and primarily pollinators of fruit trees. they are incredibly efficient at this, much more so than honey bees. These bees can actually be purchased, believe it or not, but I was fortunate that they showed up and started using my nests all on their own. here are some pictures:
This is a nest that is readily available on-line (I got mine from Gardeners Supply), and is good looking to boot. The wire basket with mesh is there to protect the nest from scrub jays, who like to try and pry the unhatched bees out of the nest. Good mid-winer snack.
This nest came from a local provider,
Utah Native Bees. The gentleman who owns this business also sells bees, and was kind enough to look at my pictures and tell me what species he thinks I have. Before i get to that, here's the third nest:
This one came from a local garden shop.
These bees are solitary bees, and hence are not aggressive. I believe they could sting you, but that would be quite unusual.
Taken/quoted from Mr Clark's email:
• 10–12 convex, rough mud plugs of Osmia lignaria (what I sell and what has the most commercial value)=roughly 60–72 bees
This species is excellent for fruit trees, specifically apple, cherry, almond, plum and some cane fruit. It can also benefit apricot, peach and nectarine trees, although it prefers the fruit within the previous sentence. These bees sell for upwards of $1 per cocoon.
They emerge in mid-March and April, die off in late May, early June
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• About 150 masticated leaf plugs of Osmia ribifloris (what I will sell next year, unknown commercial value)=roughly 900 bees
It is said that this species is difficult to manage as there are high rates of absconding females. That may be true if their adult cocoons are pulled from the cavities, but I have yet to try what is called "loose cell management" with this species. These species appear to be vigorously returning each year for me when the cocoons are not harvested. I did see one bee of this type pollinate an Asian Pear this last spring, but I was unable to see what else it was pollinating. USDA scientists say they are excellent in blueberries and other cane fruit. I believe it, but I think there is something else they are loving. It wasn't in a lot of the trees I would suspect, but it is obviously finding pollen somewhere, or else it wouldn't have so many plugs.
These bees are not sold commercially anywhere that I know of, except for one guy up in Washington/Oregon area. He has a limited quantity, however. These bees are a mystery to me. I think they can prove useful somewhere, somehow. It is a matter of time.
Like O. lignaria, They emerge in mid-March and April, die off in early June. I've noticed them remaining slightly longer than O. lignaria. It is quite possible their brighter green color is less of a heat attractant than their cousins, O. lignaria (and possibly the reason for their longer life)…Still my hypothesis.
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• Possibly 1 or 2 recessed and smooth mud plugs of Megachile pugnata (what I sell and has some commercial value)=roughly 12–15 bees
These bees are known as "sunflower bees." They love sunflower-type flowers and are probably better for smaller row crops in gardens. Like Osmia lignaria, they are also "mason bees" because they use mud for plugs. It is said that this species is difficult to manage as there are high rates of absconding females. That may be true if their cocoons are pulled from the cavities, but I have yet to try what is called "loose cell management" with this species. These species appear to be returning each year for me when the cocoons are not harvested (but not as vigorous as the prior two species).
They emerge in late June–early July, and die off in August.
This has been a fun hobby for me, and if you're interested in the fate of pollinators, the supplies are easy to come by, and who knows? You may already have a few in your yard that are just looking for a nice place to set up a nest.
