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Thanks Ulli. I did note that the first one came from a guy that sells
competing products, which always makes me leery of the advice. I
thought I was doing some good for the insects here in the city and am
glad you (and the bees) have had no problems with them.
Don
Don MacNeill donmacneill@bellaliant.net
On 4/30/2018 2:12 PM, Ulli Hoeger wrote:
> Better this one than none!
>
> IF there is a local population of solitary bees (and wasps) that nest
> in this kind of hollow stem material, and the provided stems offer the
> correct diameter they will move in.
> Bamboo may not be the prime material but it works. As with all nests
> pests and parasites will take their toll, in particular is the
> nest"boxes" are not cleaned after hatching (next Spring), but most
> bees take care of the cleaning.
> We had those kind of "hotels" in our garden for 30+ years, a wooden
> frame with drilled hardwood blocks, bundles of plant stem cuttings and
> clay blocks (some bees dig into that stuff). Easy DIY projects, and my
> brother is doing them every year with some of his students in woodshop
> class.
>
> Both sites you list are companies with their own "products", ine from
> GB, a different part of the world with different problems.
> Yes, there are solitary wasps -many of those also pollinators, some
> are parasites of solitary bees- that nest in the same way, and they
> are also part of the ecosystem. The issue of non-native bees are only
> present where those have been introduced as pollinators, mostly in
> large scale greenhouse operations.
>
> The great benefit of those commercial bee hotels is that they make
> people aware that there are native, solitary bees (and wasps). Often
> they are the first step to do more, build your own -better- ones and
> start bee friendly landscaping.
>
> This book provides a glimpse into the diversity of "Not Honey Bees"
> Robot Check
> <https://www.amazon.ca/Bees-Your-Backyard-Guide-Americas/dp/0691160775/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1525108186&sr=8-2&keywords=bees+north+america>
> and the web is full of info how to built your own bee hotels.
>
>
>
>
> Robot Check
>
> <https://www.amazon.ca/Bees-Your-Backyard-Guide-Americas/dp/0691160775/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1525108186&sr=8-2&keywords=bees+north+america>
>
>
>
>
> On Monday, April 30, 2018, 9:31:44 a.m. ADT, Don MacNeill
> <donmacneill@bellaliant.net> wrote:
>
>
> I purchased a bee hotel from Costco and 2 more for relatives. They
> are made from hollow bamboo laid horizontally and are purported to
> provide shelter for bee larvae. The following article says that these
> hotels increase pollen mites and allow a certain fungal growth to
> compete against the larvae.
>
> https://crownbees.com/blog/bamboodanger/
>
> A study indicates that these houses are used more by wasps and
> non-native bees
>
> http://nurturing-nature.co.uk/wildlife-garden-videos/beware-is-your-bee-hotel-a-nursery-for-disease-and-pests/
>
> Does anybody have any thoughts on this or experience with these bee
> hotels?
>
> Don
> --
> Don MacNeill donmacneill@bellaliant.net
> <mailto:donmacneill@bellaliant.net>
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<font face="Calibri">Thanks Ulli. I did note that the first one
came from a guy that sells competing products, which always makes
me leery of the advice. I thought I was doing some good for the
insects here in the city and am glad you (and the bees) have had
no problems with them.<br>
<br>
Don<br>
<br>
</font>
<div class="moz-signature">Don MacNeill
donmacneill@bellaliant.net</div>
<div class="moz-cite-prefix">On 4/30/2018 2:12 PM, Ulli Hoeger
wrote:<br>
</div>
<blockquote type="cite"
cite="mid:1837374580.2508449.1525108359348@mail.yahoo.com"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml><o:OfficeDocumentSettings><o:AllowPNG/><o:PixelsPerInch>96</o:PixelsPerInch></o:OfficeDocumentSettings></xml><![endif]-->
<div style="font-family:Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial,
sans-serif;font-size:13px;">
<div>
<div>Better this one than none!<br>
<div><br>
IF there is a local population of solitary bees (and
wasps) that nest in this kind of hollow stem material, and
the provided stems offer the correct diameter they will
move in.</div>
</div>
<div>Bamboo may not be the prime material but it works. As
with all nests pests and parasites will take their toll, in
particular is the nest"boxes" are not cleaned after hatching
(next Spring), but most bees take care of the cleaning.<br>
<div>We had those kind of "hotels" in our garden for 30+
years, a wooden frame with drilled hardwood blocks,
bundles of plant stem cuttings and clay blocks (some bees
dig into that stuff). Easy DIY projects, and my brother is
doing them every year with some of his students in
woodshop class.<br>
<div><br>
<div>Both sites you list are companies with their own
"products", ine from GB, a different part of the world
with different problems. <br>
<div>Yes, there are solitary wasps -many of those also
pollinators, some are parasites of solitary bees-
that nest in the same way, and they are also part of
the ecosystem. The issue of non-native bees are only
present where those have been introduced as
pollinators, mostly in large scale greenhouse
operations.<br>
<div><br>
<div>The great benefit of those commercial bee
hotels is that they make people aware that there
are native, solitary bees (and wasps). Often
they are the first step to do more, build your