To the general viewing public: if you're a nerd (like me) and are not yet educated on this subject, and if you also enjoy nature/the outdoors/gardening, then you will be pleasantly surprised with this content, finding yourself repeating phrases like, "No way!", etc. while viewing this beautifully shot, well edited expertly narrated video. This Creator even inserted appropriate humor with accompanying footage of his garden guard. He will also introduce two new words to your vocabulary which are both unique. You'll have to pay attention to catch them. This video will be one of the most entertaining and informative tutorials you'll ever view here on RUclips, totally worth every second of viewing time invested. Watch until the very end to see how beneficial solitary bees are, and how they impact personal gardens. Enjoy! 😊
I have been touting the merits of "raising" mason bees for years, but it is still rare to find anyone who even knows what they are. Compared to keeping a honeybee hive, they are dead simple to cultivate.
First year raising them. Now that I have a well established home orchard so they have plenty of trees, bushes, and flowers to feed. There's a bee hotel near the fountain and a pile of clay. I was worried they would not stay, but looks like they are filling the tubes. I have birds but I have netted the opening of the bee hotel with chicken wire so the birds can't get to them. :D.
WOW. this video is one of the best videos I have seen on Mason and Leaf cutter bees. Super information but so well narrated. Amazing video! Thank you so much. You should honestly continue making you tube videos on any subjects that interest you!
First summer after I bought my new house, I saw a cutter bee for the first time. I was so confused. All I saw was this fat bodied thing, flying thru the air with a "green snowboard" and then it landed on the lawn and disappeared. I called my mom cuz I had no idea wtf had just happened and what I saw...... she told me about cutter bees and I just giggled. Now everytime I see one, I have a good laugh. They really are quite cute and also funny looking when they have grass or leaves between their feets ❤
Hi @RyanFox85 ! They're so cute I know!!! Being able to see them working is truely a blessing, vary rare sighting as they move so fast! All you'll see are the holes in leaves they leave behind, many people have no idea how that damage happened but I'm glad I was able to explain it in my video so share awareness. I hope you continue to support those cuties as they're extremely beneficial to your garden, consider it a blessing to see them nest around your home! Please take care of them for me and I'll bee your friend forever and give you a hive five :D :D :D Thank you so much for supporting my channel!
@@UmamiGarden 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 your response made me giggle! The bees will always have a home in my garden! I have lots of early bloomers for the first bees to warm up in spring! Some have even bloomed thru the last inch of snow, when we get milder than usual temps. Cutter bees are now one of my favorite bees. They make me smile when i see them flying around with the greenery! Is there anything you recommend doing, or not doing, to keep happy in my garden and lawn?
Hi @RyanFox85 ! Continue practicing organic gardening and avoid anything that involves contaminating your soil or plants. It's perfectly normal to see pests, in fact it's good to see them because it means there's food for predators. The best thing to do to encourage solitary bee population is setup a small fountain to provide them water and place several nesting tubes at each corner of your home as this will let them know they're safe to nest without fear. Your bee population increase exponentially - contingent on resources! Goodluck and provide an update!
These videos are absolutely amazing. As a landscape designer, I love seeing how the landscape is used for these different professions, hobbies and specialties, so that when I encounter it I can respond accordingly. Thank you!
Hi Dylan Bartholomew! Your consideration in landscape is greatly appreciated! The thought of you building around the ecosystem and supporting the local inhabitants is truly desired! While I do hear some unfortunate stories of large 50 year old trees being cut down, it breaks my heart. I'm very glad to hear you share the same care and respect I have for the animal kingdom around us, there is a balance. Thank you so much for supporting my channel and your thoughtful response!
That was absolutely incredible! Beautiful filming, narration, attention to detail. Mostly though incredible information! I have had a mild interest in Mason bees. Now am determined to become a beekeeper/helper also for solitary bees. I plant what I call little pollinator gardens and keep increasing the variety and amt of flowers each year. I am trying to have something bloom for as many months as possible. So I am going to buy bee houses, rewatch your video and start learning. Awesome to find out that the bees recognize you and know you are helping. Thanks again for an incredible video!
Nice video. Very helpful. I just discovered a weird bee making a nest in my vac motor. Decided to look it up. Found it was a mason bee. So im very happy to of run across your video. It was very helpful. And i think i will try and make them a home now. That is not my vac motor. Thank you for the video. You made some bees very happy soon as i build their home. And your video was very relaxing and enjoyable to watch. If i didnt know better i would of placed this video as if it were from animal planet or some big production film company. You did a very excellent job at keeping me hypnotized to the video. Keep up the great work.
Hi @Argent911 ! I too love stumbling on random things too! Solitary bees are so precious and very fun to be around as they're not aggressive at all and very social! Please let me know how I can help you succeed, we need more solitary bees friends! Thank you so much for suporting my channel!
I first started on your Wasabi video. Now I'm here. Love em and I will share them everywhere I can. You do an amazing job. Keep up the good work! This channel will blow up soon!!
Hi Ryan, You're the best! I'm glad to hear you've enjoyed the videos, I hope all my future videos have the same effect! Blow up, you mean my channel will go boom? :D :D :D 🤣😂🤣 Thank you so much for showing the love and support!
Hi, No, thank you for visiting and supporting my channel! Your channel is also very interesting and positive - Keep up the great work and please let me know how I can help another fellow gardener! Thank you so much! :D :D :D
Hi Addam, That's a great idea! Has this been tested? Would they bee-have differently with the introduction of paper inserts to compliment the bamboo reeds? Thanks for your support!
@@UmamiGarden Was that a bee pun or are you just pollen my leg? I am going to set one of these awesome houses up very soon, will do a 50-50 split between the original method you showed and the one I propose and try to document it at least 1/5th as well as you have.
Hahahaha that’s a good one, hive never felt this way about bees before. It also appears you’re in a different climate? Our season is over, spring is about 6 months away. I’ll try half and half as well to see how they respond. Thanks for the advice! Swarm wishes!
Hi @EverFlo777 !!! I'm very glad to hear it's added a substantial amount of knowledge that you can share with others! Thank you for supporting my channel!
Thanks for the hard work you put into this video. I had some questions, maybe I missed the answers. Why do you harvest the bees versus leaving them in the tubes? Are these traditional cocoons or are they embryos? Do the solitary bees begin breeding as soon as they’re born? I’m assuming traditional hive bees do not procreate such as worker bees, but do all of the solitary bees able to procreate? The pods can sustain cold through hibernation? The adults can survive cold weather into spring? Why do you need to disinfect the pods?
Hi! It is I who should be thanking for supporting my channel! Definitely hard work but I really enjoy the production :) I'll be more than happy to answer all your great questions. As long as you continue to welcome bees to your garden! Q1. Why do you harvest the bees versus leaving them in the tubes? A. Leaving the bees in their cocoons causes issues such as predators, infestation of parasites and mother nature. By harvesting the cocoons and cleaning them, we ensure the high survival rate and low mortality rate. Bees sometime struggle to emerge from the very end of the tubes. This is caused by a lifeless bee or larva obstructing the narrow path. You're also cleaning up the used shelter and allowing it to be reused for the next season! Q2. Are these traditional cocoons or are they embryos? A. These cocoons should be harvested in the fall, when the cocoons are developed. I. Mason Bee Lifecyle, Egg, Larva, Pupae, Adult Bee II. Egg - Spring III. Larva - Summer IV. Pupae- Fall V. Adult Bee - Winter VI. Release in Spring Q3. Do the solitary bees begin breeding as soon as they’re born? A. As a matter of fact, yes! The mason bees are in their adult stage when they emerge. Males emerge first searching for a mate, they'll live for 2-3 weeks. Females expand to 4-5 weeks, doing the heavy lifting and giving birth. When females will start nesting when they're ready to lay eggs. Q4. I’m assuming traditional hive bees do not procreate such as worker bees, but do all of the solitary bees able to procreate? A. Solitary bees procreate as long as there's a female and a male bee. Solitary bees do not belong to a colony, they're individual contributors that work for themselves, sometimes their neighbors. Each female will produce their own brood. Q5. The pods can sustain cold through hibernation? A. Yes! Surprisingly, leaves, mud or anything you find in mother nature can survive several seasons in the natural elements without issues. As long as the shelter is protected from frost, rain and wind, the capsules/cocoons/pods are perfectly safe. Since the weather tends to change in a blink of an eye, it's recommended that we harvest and store the cocoons in the refrigerator to overwinter for the best survival. Q6. The adults can survive cold weather into spring? A. The adults can survive in non-freezing temperatures, as long as they're not exposed to freezing temperatures or wind chills and high moisture they'll be perfectly fine. The cocoons are sealed. Weather anomalies do occur in all regions where temps drop way below freezing, so I encourage you to harvest your cocoons and protect them - It's very rewarding and let's you know a healthy gardening season is forthcoming! Q7. Why do you need to disinfect the pods? A. Disinfecting the pods purges any contamination, diseases, fungal infection, mold, parasites that may be preserved during hibernation. Cleaning the pods ensures a peaceful hibernation that guarantees the health of the bees when they emerge! Thank you for asking these questions, I'm sorry they were not answered in the video :( There were still many more topics I didn't discuss, but I'm very glad you enjoyed it and found it valuable! Most importantly, thanks for showing your support by subbing to my channel!
@@UmamiGarden I started a vanilla garden in Africa but I closed it down after a couple of years. This endeavor did not go well especially with all the corruption. Vanilla is a luxury crop that’s tedious to grow. I can earn over $300-500 per kg depending on quality. I saw you grow wasabi without running water. I love unique crops. I will try to watch more vids!
Hi, I'm very sorry to hear about your struggles and issues within your country. I hope one day when things settle, you can pursue this venture again, but this time with much better success! When you do, please share your stories your agriculture workflow, I'm always interested in learning from others! Thank you for showing your support, take care!
I love your beautiful and informative video. I will have to watch it several times in attempt to catch every single word. You are providing valuable information, but you're speaking very fast, to the point where you swallow the end of words. To me, every word you say is very important. In future videos, please try to slow down a bit. I live in southern Ontario, Canada, where the population of honey bees has dropped by 60% from last year to this year, due to some mites infestation. This spring and summer, I have not seen a single honey bee. In my small backyard, I have 20 well established blueberry bushes, raspberries and vegetables growing that need to be pollinated. I am mostly concerned about the pollination of the blueberries since they bloom the earliest. This year, 2022, I had only 2 bumble bees doing the job. I read that bumble bees can be very picky and pollinate only those blueberry varieties that taste good to them and ignore the rest. That would explain why they did not visit half of my blueberry bushes. This fall, I planted 60 bulbs of grape hyacinth flowers in between the blueberry bushes as companion plants, to increase availability of pollen for the bees in the spring. I have pre-ordered 20 Mason bee cocoons for 2023 release. I have no idea how hungry my 20 Mason bees will be. In your video, you recommend to stagger the release of the hatched bees. So if I release 10 bees at the beginning of May, when majority of my blueberries start blooming, when should I release the other 10 bees? After watching your video, I think I want to pre-order the leaf cutting bees in addition to the Mason bees. Do leaf cutting bees like blueberry or raspberry leaves and maple tree leaves? In the front of my house, I also have a rose bush that I planted this spring. I have several lavender plants around the rose bush to repel aphids. As a result, the rose leaves are clean, healthy and free of aphids or any other visible pests. I don't use any pesticides.
Hi JS, Thank you so much for taking the time to type out this thoughtful response. I'll slow down a bit, I tend to get excited when I explain things I'm deeply passionate about! It pains me to hear that the bee population has declined even outside of my demographics. One thing you can do is plant flowers or fruit trees, this will encourage bee activity in addition to other beneficial pollinators. Honey bees will be attracted to any flower in your garden, avoid using anything that may harm pollinators, fungicide, soapy water, neem oil, pesticides and bird feeders. My routine to release the mason bees is usually 1-2 weeks after spring, this prevents them from being devoured by birds, also gives them time to look for a mate, nest and collect pollen from spring flowers. After 3 weeks of consistent spring weather, you can release the remaining bees or wait until a week before spring. I also noticed you've adopted several leaf cutter bees as well! They too can be released simultaneously, but make sure there are enough plants around for leaf cutter bees to nest or they'll migrate elsewhere until they're comfortable. The most import part of solitary bees is to keep water source in a neutral area. A small bowl with rocks, small pond or fountain shall suffice. Without water, the bees will not stay long. I hope this information answers all your questions, if not please let me know how I can help you help the bees, help us! Thank you so much for your support!
loved this video ...the photography music and commentary are really great. I had leafcutter bees last year. its the 1st time I've ever seen them. I'm getting some mason bees this year.
Hi @georgmathes537! Thank you for your positive response! I too watch it many times, it's one of proudest moments - Took me several years to produce this video! Thank you so much for supporting my channel!
I never even knew a leafcutter bee was a thing, until a few days ago. I was excited to see a bee, period. I now have a leafcutter by my back door, she's been working very hard. The comment about paper wasps has me worried now though, because I have a huge amount around here.
Hi Haleyelizabeth8378, Paper wasps tend to mind their own business unless you're within their vicinity. I'm glad you're focusing on what mattesr more, the leafcutter bee! I hope you made a nice home for your leafcutter friend so she can invite other expecting mommies! Thank you for your support!
I really enjoyed your video and all the information you provided. I’d like to start caring for solitary bees and promoting their presence in my home garden and I will be relying on your video for guidance. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and raising awareness about solitary bees! So much has been said about honeybees that most people have no knowledge of solitary bees. Even folks who express their awareness of the crucial role bees play in our environment and in feeding the world think honeybees are synonymous of all bees.
Hi Gearz Pop, Thank you for finding me! Very glad you enjoy the content, many videos in production! Thank you so much for supporting my growing channel!
Hi Jye Brodie-Snowdon! You're very welcome! :D :D :D I hope this video provided you all the information needed to involve yourself in solitary bee keeping! Feel free to ask me any questions regarding this video, I enjoy it very much! Thank you for showing your support!
This is absolute amazing! Thank you for your hard work. Maybe a clear food grade silicone? Easier to peel? I’ve noticed sometimes silicone naturally lifts around tub surrounds over time…
Thank you for incorporating text into your videos. It would be helpful if you put the important and difficult to understand words also in your video, like the disease names. The autocaptions are not great.
Hi @christophergs ! I greatly appreciate your feedback and yes, I will definitely consider implementing more details in important and difficult disease/illness/pest names for our viewers to do further research where needed. Thank you so much for supporting my channel!
📌SUBSCRIBED📌 Thank you, Umami Garden, for beautifully filmed videos & a gentle approach to gardening & bee tending. I occasionally see a tiny metallic blue-green bee emerging from ground holes under the golden poppies! They are NOT blue mason bees, but solitary, slender, iridescent and shy. I adore them and have only ever seen them near golden poppies. They are lovely & difficult to photograph
Hello again Gaia Carney! I believe you're referring to Agapostemon (Sweat Bees) they're also solitary bees and live in the ground! They're very pretty and are very fun to watch, exceptional pollinators! There aren't many in my area, so documenting them could be quite a challenge. Consider yourself very lucky! I've only seen one and before I could pull out my camera they were gone :( Many bees are attracted to bright yellow or white flowers, thank you for providing them the feed they desperately need. Remember, no pesticides! Thank you again for supporting my channel!
@@UmamiGarden thanks for info on ‘my’ mystery bee 🌸 it’s dreadful that anyone sprays chemicals, don’t they care about their cats or birds or squirrels or bees or spiders or worms or snails 🐌??
Hi Gaia, You're very welcome! The chemicals found in department stores wreck havoc on all life forms, air, land and water. It has the potential to turn lush rich soil into a barren wasteland. Encourage others to practice organic gardening so we can continue to see all forms of life thrive. Hope you had a great weekend!
Loved the video and info, especially how to successfully open bamboo tubes because I’m hoping to be able to harvest many healthy cocoons this year! I have always left them in situ but noticed a lot of parasitic files this spring/summer so I am going to open the tubes and save the cocoons. ❤
Hi Flossypark3169, It took several attempts to achieve the clean cocoon extraction, behind those gloves are huge bloodied scars! JK!!! Be careful not to hurt yourself or the bees when you're extracting. If it's safer for you to extract the cocoons, use thicker gloves that resist sharp objects as a layer of protection. I'm also very glad to hear you've went above and BEEyond to clean the coocons, I should have put more emphasis on the extraction and cleaning portion. Please provide an update of how your 2023 bee season! Thank you so much for supporting my channel and your kind words!
@@UmamiGardenhi! I successfully opened the canes, glad I did! There were literally hundreds of parasitic fly grubs where there should have been baby bees! Some chalk brood, but extracted many babies! There are hatching now, so 🤞🤞but weather hasn’t been consistent and we’ve had many cold periods! Good luck with your bees! 🐝🐝🐝🐝😊
What growing zone do you live in? What do you grow in your garden that the bees can feed on? How did you manage to get the leaf cutter bees to nest in your garden? How many solitary bee houses did you start with? How many leaf cutter bee cocoons did you purchase as your first-time batch? I have pre-ordered 20 Mason bee cocoon for next spring. After watching this video, I may want to purchase some leaf cutter bee cocoons as well.
I think a video about the different microgreens you grow, their uses and properties would be very interesting. And also, you seem to have a lot of very interesting and specialized tools, a video about them would be very interesting as well!
Hi Again Drain Gang Uranium! You're definitely reading my mind! I've already collected a years worth of footage for that 😊 As far as tools, if you're referring to the knives and supported equipment then of course I can make a video for those too! Many of the items I use are imported from Japan, they're made sustainability in mind - Bamboo, Hinoki Cypress and Kiri wood, just to name a few. Is there anything in particular you have in mind? I'll make sure I highlight that topic for you! Thank you again for supporting my channel! Having one sub that appreciates the quality content is more heartwarming than 1 million that aren't engaged 😥
@@UmamiGarden Yeah I definitely noticed that all of your knives and tools are made from sustainable materials which is awesome, and also they all look hand made which is great too, there's some great craftmanship there. I don't have anything particular in mind, maybe just going over tools which come from Japan and have very specific purposes, and also maybe talking about why certain knives have the shape that they do. Whatever you decide to make, I'll definitely watch it, stay safe!
Hi Hashihashi1019, I hope I did a good job! It only took me 5 years to do it 🤣😂🤣 I really enjoyed it and I'm glad you did too! Thank you for supporting my channel!
Wow, thanks! :D :D :D I guess you can call it NBG, National Backyard Geographics :D Perhaps I should dedicate a channel? Thank you so much for supporting my backyard channel! :D
once again an amazing video! Will definitely set this up upcoming spring. Will try to add some bubble bee nests using a cavity with hay and dry grass aswell since these are pretty common here, we´ve mostly got bumble bees, honey bees and wasps. Would muddy water using clay soil be an ok option for the bees to close off their nests? couldn't really find info on this online.
Hi Daan! Very heartwarming to hear you've enjoyed it! Definitely add some shelter for these lovely bees, they'll thank you by providing a bountiful harvest! Regarding your question about muddy water, as long as it's not thick clay, it'll be sufficient for the mason bees. If you have a lawn or some open space somewhere with dirt, you can dig a small trench, fill it with water and mix it into a slurry. Saturate it every other day to maintain the moisture, they tend to use more natural areas than mud in a container. If you're able to dig deeper into a clay layer, you can fill it up entirely with water, this allows the bees to drink as well. Basically a small pond, it'll attract other bees too! The objective is to collect natural mud, it's more native to them compared to store bought clay. The other option is what you suggested, leave a container with the clay mixture by their nesting area. I had very little success with this, you may have less pickier mason bees in your area! Bees in my area prefer dirt, all I had to do was water my plants and water exiting the containers saturated the ground. It's fun to see them dig up the dirt and fly away, very fascinating! I'll be more than happy to answer any other questions! Thank you so much for supporting my channel!
What if you split the bamboo on a bandsaw and then rubber band them or tape them- would that not make emptying the larvae easier? This was really wonderful. Thank you.
Hi Williamwoody7607 , I haven't thought of this but it does raise a few concerns. 1. Your personal safety when splitting the bamboo/reeds. 2. Air pockets, this tends to deter the bees as they assume it's not a sealed enclosure 3. Tape residue may leak through the openings of the split bamboo with high temperatures Perhaps if we rearrange the approach of your suggestion, I'm sure we can make it possible! Please share your results, there's many ways to approach the construction of bee shelters - I'm actually releasing a video regarding this topic soon! Thank you so much for your support!
Hi @kaxiaz! I'm so happy to hear this! I hope it has added value to your gardening routine and provided awareness of our native pollenators! Thank you so much for your continued support!
Hi @slimeinabox ! She means the world to me! Took a lot of training and patience to get her to understand what I approve and disapprove - There are still instincts you cannot change but she is very well behaved! Thank you for your kind words and support for my growing channel!
As if your video, info and wonderful tone of voice are not enough to keep one glued to your video, you have a great puddy tat to clinch and secure my interest. Thank you for including your cute kitty. Hope to see much more of him! Congrats on a fascinating video. From Cape Town, in South Africa.
Thank you so much. I started gardening several years ago and got interested in mason bees. I want to provide nests for them but not a lot since my garden is small. Can you leave them alone afterwards since I really don't want to open the tube. I thought I would just replace them every year if I decide to buy paper tubes. Your tutorial was very informative.
Hi Carrieannmcleod5219, I strongly discourage leaving them as is, many reasons I've noticed is related to infestations and fungal issues. Cleaning the tubes, not only ensures their safety but it also creates a clean and fresh environment for the next generation. Allowing them to hatch naturally will lead to a lower population and health complications. In summary, cleaning them provides many more benefits than a natural emergence. Please let me know how else I can help the bees! Thank you so much for supporting my channel!
Hi BossJosh! You're very welcome! I totally enjoy making these videos so you're in for a treat! Many more in production, I hope they meet your expectations! Thank you so much for supporting my channel!
Hi, loved the video, very informative and nice visuals. I do have a question: Why do you harvest te cocoons? Can't you just let the natural proces do its thing?
Your video quality is amazing, each video of yours is incredibly inspiring and has convinced me to raise bees myself. How do leaf cutter bees spread pollen so well, when they don’t tend to get near to pollen sources too often?
Hi Sam! I totally enjoy raising solitary bees! My city ordnance didn't allow me to keep honey bees because our neighbors are within proximity of the honey bee hives. The best time to start is around spring time, I hope the video did a fair job of explaining how to get started! Leafcutter bees spread the pollen on another level, this is because they carry pollen on their bellies and often times, entire body! If you noticed the video, when you see a closeup shot of them carry pollen on their bellies, you can see it on their head, back and legs! There's definitely other facts that I have yet to learn, each year as I observe them I learn something new! Thank you so much for supporting my growing channel!
Hi FranKoPepez ! The feeling is mutual! In regards to bees of course :) Very glad to hear you've enjoyed my video, it took me several years to complete i! Thank you so much for supporting my channel!
03/26/24, a great film, thank you so much for sharing your knowledge 👌👍 my experience too, bambou very much liked by insects. Herb from the southern Alps, France Food forest grower, usda 7
I am new to this and am fascinated. I have a nest house that shows much activity here in early February. I did not realize there was so much annual maintenance required. Must all of this be done or will the next generation clean the tubes themselves next year? You provide an incredible amount of information, but I am not able to get most of it due to very muddled audio and speaking too fast. Any chance of correcting this so us older folks can learn from you too?
When providing a unnatural nesting place, it must be cleaned or they will aquire more and more parasites every year. So yes, they need the annual maintenance cleaning. You don't have to clean off every single individual, just line the tubes with bamboo or paper and after they leave in the spring/summer replace them.
Hi Park! Cleaning isn't mandatory, but it's encourage to increase the survival rate of these bees. In terms of maintenance, it's actually not that bad if you're using natural or organic materials so they can be easily composted. I'll add details where you'd like me to expand upon, sometimes I get too excited during my videos! If you think that's fast, you should hear me talk in person LOL! Please let me know how I can help you, help the bees! Thank you so much for your continued support!
Would you suggest having an established garden before making a solitary bee shelter? Also, would it still be beneficial to the bees jf I only had flowers, not fruits and vegetables?
Hi Tys, Absolutely, an established garden will attract solitary bees and many other pollinators. A few plants with blooms may not be enough to keep them around, but a few fruit plants and spring flowers will change their mind! If you have only some fruits and mainly vegetables, I encourage you to look into leaf cutter bees. They don't have the high requirements mason bee's do. Thank you and I hope this information helps!
Was considering trying this as I have dwarf bamboo growing and I have to cut it now and again. My only concern is my trailer park has palmettos and German roaches. I can keep them out of my home but if I make bug homes and they take them it could escalate very fast
Hi Matt, You bring up a good point! However, you can avoid this issue by creating nesting area on a high wooden stake. Or, place it on a metal pole - This keeps rodents, unwanted pests or any other predators away. Hope this helps! Thank you for asking!
I am looking at building up a colony for future pollinating. When pollen is in short supply along with nectar, has anyone used pollen substitute and sugar water?
Hi Russell! This is definitely possible but not encouraged. With sugar water, it'll attract ants, colony bees, in addition to wasps and birds. I encourage you to plant flowers in early spring, it'll attract many beneficial insects including butterflies! Please let me know how I can help! Thank you for your support!
Hi Giovanni9045, This will work, but I wouldn't encourage it. They'll hatch and will be less inclined to return since the space appears occupied. By cleaning them individually, you ensure their health and no fungal infections or spores are spread to the next generation. Cleaning may seem mundane, but think of all the benefits you're getting after taking care of them! Honestly, I really enjoy cleaning everything out for them, it's very satisfying for me! I hope this provides the answer you're looking for!
Have watched so many videos on this this afternoon that I've forgotten if you suggested to use a bleach solution to clean the bee pods? If so do we soak the leaf pods in bleach solution too? Once you take the pods out of the fridge in spring do you put them into the 'rooms' in the hive again to leave them to hatch?
Hi Elly Davis! Yes, you can use a bleach solution, 1 teaspoon of bleach for 1 cup of water. This will eradicate everything surrounding the cocoons. The leafcutter bees do not need to be cleaned, you'll just need to roll them around your fingers to remove the loose leaves. They're packed very tightly, if you see any mold signs of parasites I encourage you to clean them. I don't often clean them, it's rare for them to be as dirty as the mason bee cocoons. In terms of hatching, I keep them in a small 8oz deli container with a small opening and wet towel. Or if you noticed in my video, I have a stone lantern by my koi pond that has holes large enough for them to go in and out as they please but nothing larger than them can enter. The stone also radiates the warmth they need, I stumbled upon it and realized how useful it was for solitary bees! Please let me know if you have any other questions, I'll bee more than happy to help you! 😁😁😁 Thank you so much for supporting my channel!
@@UmamiGarden Thanks so much for taking the time to reply with extra advice. Your video was invaluable to this newbie solitary bee guardian (hopefully).
Hi Elly Davis! Absolutely! One day, you'll be teaching me instead! I hope all of my future videos continue to provide you the motivation and spread joy to others as well! Thank you!
hello i need some help asap i put a couple of bee shelters up this year and all was going great plenty of bees en most of the tubes where getting capped of but when in walk out this morning 1 of the bee shelters all the capps where gone en found some pollen on the base what do i do with the rest ? and what happend please help !?
@@UmamiGarden the female bee selects the gender of her eggs based on how much space she has. The males are laid at the front of the tube, because they're the first ones out to scout for food. And if the tubes are too short, you get one or two females for every tube. Longer tubes maximize your population. Also be careful of the weather. This last spring I lost all of my bees and it wrecked me.
Hi Dave! Thanks for asking, my first batch of bees were discovered in my backyard! I had several fruit trees that fail to set fruit year after year, sometimes very minimal fruit. I decided to setup a mason shelter and they started moving in. I continued to do this year after year and the quality of fruit and life around my garden improved like day and night! This applies to my leafcutter bees too! Both are native to my area (California, Bay Area) but their population has dwindled over the past several years This is caused by use of pesticides or areas affected by drought, drought resistant plants do not meet solitary bee requirements. Please help the environment by encouraging their growth, if you have fruit trees or flowers that bloom in the spring, you'll be surprised what they're capable of! Please feel free to contact me on Instagram and I'll be more than happy to answer any questions! Thank you so much for your support!
Hi @BeekeepingEstonia ! You can reuse the bamboo pieces only if they're sanitized. Do this by leaving them in the sun to cure and store in a dry environment until usage. I would only reuse the bamboo if the structure isn't compromised in any way. I'm very glad to hear you're doing your best to promote sustainability and promoting the population of our solitary bees! Thank you so much for your continued support for my channel!
Hi, Human intervention increases their survivability from natural elements such as : 1. Rodents 2. Relentless rain 3. Emerging prematurely 4. Predators 5. Fungal infections parasites Additionally, this also allows us to control how they're released in a more graceful manner that promotes their health. I hope this answers your questions and beyond! Thank you for supporting my channel!
Hi Gaming Rex! They really fascinating to watch as they develop during their lifetime. Makes you appreciate them so much more than what you've heard. Thank you for supporting my channel!
I dont understand your preference for Bamboo, as they cant be inspected unless you ruin them by cracking them open.l have replaced them with either cardboard bought in nest tubes or my own home made using stems of Giant Hog weed or Japanese knotweed which is very strong and lining them with brown paper which can easily be pulled out in Autumn.ruclips.net/video/FHKIw0MlRHE/видео.htmlsi=KblSJozUxzp8lj-n
Hi Minh! They're definitely not flies! From a distance they do look very similar, but a closer look you'll definitely be able to identify them. Mason bees fly much quicker and flight motion is very similar to a drone. Flies move in zig zags or clumsy flight patterns, they also have red eyes and mason bees do not. Identify them before you do any harm! Thanks for supporting my channel!
Hi! Thank you for your praise and yes she does stay indoors! She's only out when I'm outside in the garden, which is most of the sunlight hours! I adopted her as a feral cat, spent about 6 months to acclimate her and another year to domesticate her! August was her 5th birthday! :D :D :D Thank you so much for your continued support!
Hi Félix André! It's a work in progress - It'll be updated very soon! Feel free to follow me and message me if you have any questions about my channel! I'll be posting my year's work of production to give everyone an idea of what to expect in the future videos. Thank you for visiting my channel and showing your support!
To this video producer: Please slow down, and enunciate your words. Its hard to understand you. Speak more slowly, articulate clearly, and avoid slurring your words together. That way, the valuable information will be easier to understand. Thank you.
![Lethal Company Music Video 🎵 "Follow The Orders" [VERSION A]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/QeooZB4Z7RA/mqdefault.jpg)
To the general viewing public:
if you're a nerd (like me) and are not yet educated on this subject, and if you also enjoy nature/the outdoors/gardening, then you will be pleasantly surprised with this content, finding yourself repeating phrases like, "No way!", etc. while viewing this beautifully shot, well edited expertly narrated video. This Creator even inserted appropriate humor with accompanying footage of his garden guard. He will also introduce two new words to your vocabulary which are both unique. You'll have to pay attention to catch them. This video will be one of the most entertaining and informative tutorials you'll ever view here on RUclips, totally worth every second of viewing time invested.
Watch until the very end to see how beneficial solitary bees are, and how they impact personal gardens. Enjoy! 😊
The leaf cutter cocoons were so gorgeous. Love solitary bees. They’re so fascinating.
I have been touting the merits of "raising" mason bees for years, but it is still rare to find anyone who even knows what they are. Compared to keeping a honeybee hive, they are dead simple to cultivate.
First year raising them. Now that I have a well established home orchard so they have plenty of trees, bushes, and flowers to feed. There's a bee hotel near the fountain and a pile of clay. I was worried they would not stay, but looks like they are filling the tubes. I have birds but I have netted the opening of the bee hotel with chicken wire so the birds can't get to them. :D.
@@Rinsuki Any reading or videos you would recommend?
WOW. this video is one of the best videos I have seen on Mason and Leaf cutter bees. Super information but so well narrated. Amazing video! Thank you so much. You should honestly continue making you tube videos on any subjects that interest you!
First summer after I bought my new house, I saw a cutter bee for the first time. I was so confused. All I saw was this fat bodied thing, flying thru the air with a "green snowboard" and then it landed on the lawn and disappeared. I called my mom cuz I had no idea wtf had just happened and what I saw...... she told me about cutter bees and I just giggled. Now everytime I see one, I have a good laugh. They really are quite cute and also funny looking when they have grass or leaves between their feets ❤
Hi @RyanFox85 !
They're so cute I know!!! Being able to see them working is truely a blessing, vary rare sighting as they move so fast!
All you'll see are the holes in leaves they leave behind, many people have no idea how that damage happened but I'm glad I was able to explain it in my video so share awareness.
I hope you continue to support those cuties as they're extremely beneficial to your garden, consider it a blessing to see them nest around your home!
Please take care of them for me and I'll bee your friend forever and give you a hive five :D :D :D
Thank you so much for supporting my channel!
@@UmamiGarden 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 your response made me giggle! The bees will always have a home in my garden! I have lots of early bloomers for the first bees to warm up in spring! Some have even bloomed thru the last inch of snow, when we get milder than usual temps. Cutter bees are now one of my favorite bees. They make me smile when i see them flying around with the greenery! Is there anything you recommend doing, or not doing, to keep happy in my garden and lawn?
Hi @RyanFox85 !
Continue practicing organic gardening and avoid anything that involves contaminating your soil or plants.
It's perfectly normal to see pests, in fact it's good to see them because it means there's food for predators.
The best thing to do to encourage solitary bee population is setup a small fountain to provide them water and place several nesting tubes at each corner of your home as this will let them know they're safe to nest without fear. Your bee population increase exponentially - contingent on resources!
Goodluck and provide an update!
These videos are absolutely amazing. As a landscape designer, I love seeing how the landscape is used for these different professions, hobbies and specialties, so that when I encounter it I can respond accordingly. Thank you!
Hi Dylan Bartholomew!
Your consideration in landscape is greatly appreciated!
The thought of you building around the ecosystem and supporting the local inhabitants is truly desired!
While I do hear some unfortunate stories of large 50 year old trees being cut down, it breaks my heart.
I'm very glad to hear you share the same care and respect I have for the animal kingdom around us, there is a balance.
Thank you so much for supporting my channel and your thoughtful response!
I appreciate your subtle humor in the captions.
Informative, sweet, a most pleasant way to spend 30 minutes.
Thank you for your work 👌👌👌
That was absolutely incredible! Beautiful filming, narration, attention to detail. Mostly though incredible information! I have had a mild interest in Mason bees. Now am determined to become a beekeeper/helper also for solitary bees. I plant what I call little pollinator gardens and keep increasing the variety and amt of flowers each year. I am trying to have something bloom for as many months as possible. So I am going to buy bee houses, rewatch your video and start learning. Awesome to find out that the bees recognize you and know you are helping. Thanks again for an incredible video!
Excellent video. Super informative
Nice video. Very helpful. I just discovered a weird bee making a nest in my vac motor. Decided to look it up. Found it was a mason bee. So im very happy to of run across your video. It was very helpful. And i think i will try and make them a home now. That is not my vac motor. Thank you for the video. You made some bees very happy soon as i build their home.
And your video was very relaxing and enjoyable to watch. If i didnt know better i would of placed this video as if it were from animal planet or some big production film company. You did a very excellent job at keeping me hypnotized to the video. Keep up the great work.
I just stumbled into this at random and I loved it! Now I have to learn how to do this for my garden!
Hi @Argent911 !
I too love stumbling on random things too!
Solitary bees are so precious and very fun to be around as they're not aggressive at all and very social!
Please let me know how I can help you succeed, we need more solitary bees friends!
Thank you so much for suporting my channel!
I first started on your Wasabi video. Now I'm here. Love em and I will share them everywhere I can. You do an amazing job. Keep up the good work! This channel will blow up soon!!
Hi Ryan,
You're the best!
I'm glad to hear you've enjoyed the videos, I hope all my future videos have the same effect!
Blow up, you mean my channel will go boom? :D :D :D 🤣😂🤣
Thank you so much for showing the love and support!
same
Fascinating stuff! Very interesting video - thank you!
Hi,
No, thank you for visiting and supporting my channel!
Your channel is also very interesting and positive - Keep up the great work and please let me know how I can help another fellow gardener!
Thank you so much! :D :D :D
@@UmamiGarden thank you for taking a peek at my channel too - I so appreciate it! Looking forward to learning more from you and your channel too! 💚
Great video with amazingly detailed and beautiful footage!
Feel like if you split the tubes before you place them and wrap them in paper to hold them together, they’ll be easier to harvest later.
Hi Addam,
That's a great idea! Has this been tested?
Would they bee-have differently with the introduction of paper inserts to compliment the bamboo reeds?
Thanks for your support!
@@UmamiGarden Was that a bee pun or are you just pollen my leg? I am going to set one of these awesome houses up very soon, will do a 50-50 split between the original method you showed and the one I propose and try to document it at least 1/5th as well as you have.
Hahahaha that’s a good one, hive never felt this way about bees before. It also appears you’re in a different climate? Our season is over, spring is about 6 months away. I’ll try half and half as well to see how they respond.
Thanks for the advice!
Swarm wishes!
this was so meditative to watch
Hi @thebattlebee!
I'm very pleased to hear this, I'm also glad it has added value!
Thank you so much for your support!
This video was so well informative. Thank you for making this video.
Hi @EverFlo777 !!!
I'm very glad to hear it's added a substantial amount of knowledge that you can share with others!
Thank you for supporting my channel!
Thanks for the hard work you put into this video. I had some questions, maybe I missed the answers. Why do you harvest the bees versus leaving them in the tubes? Are these traditional cocoons or are they embryos? Do the solitary bees begin breeding as soon as they’re born? I’m assuming traditional hive bees do not procreate such as worker bees, but do all of the solitary bees able to procreate? The pods can sustain cold through hibernation? The adults can survive cold weather into spring? Why do you need to disinfect the pods?
Hi!
It is I who should be thanking for supporting my channel!
Definitely hard work but I really enjoy the production :)
I'll be more than happy to answer all your great questions.
As long as you continue to welcome bees to your garden!
Q1. Why do you harvest the bees versus leaving them in the tubes?
A. Leaving the bees in their cocoons causes issues such as predators, infestation of parasites and mother nature.
By harvesting the cocoons and cleaning them, we ensure the high survival rate and low mortality rate.
Bees sometime struggle to emerge from the very end of the tubes.
This is caused by a lifeless bee or larva obstructing the narrow path.
You're also cleaning up the used shelter and allowing it to be reused for the next season!
Q2. Are these traditional cocoons or are they embryos?
A. These cocoons should be harvested in the fall, when the cocoons are developed.
I. Mason Bee Lifecyle, Egg, Larva, Pupae, Adult Bee
II. Egg - Spring
III. Larva - Summer
IV. Pupae- Fall
V. Adult Bee - Winter
VI. Release in Spring
Q3. Do the solitary bees begin breeding as soon as they’re born?
A. As a matter of fact, yes! The mason bees are in their adult stage when they emerge.
Males emerge first searching for a mate, they'll live for 2-3 weeks.
Females expand to 4-5 weeks, doing the heavy lifting and giving birth.
When females will start nesting when they're ready to lay eggs.
Q4. I’m assuming traditional hive bees do not procreate such as worker bees, but do all of the solitary bees able to procreate?
A. Solitary bees procreate as long as there's a female and a male bee. Solitary bees do not belong to a colony, they're individual contributors that work for themselves, sometimes their neighbors. Each female will produce their own brood.
Q5. The pods can sustain cold through hibernation?
A. Yes! Surprisingly, leaves, mud or anything you find in mother nature can survive several seasons in the natural elements without issues.
As long as the shelter is protected from frost, rain and wind, the capsules/cocoons/pods are perfectly safe. Since the weather tends to change in a blink of an eye, it's recommended that we harvest and store the cocoons in the refrigerator to overwinter for the best survival.
Q6. The adults can survive cold weather into spring?
A. The adults can survive in non-freezing temperatures, as long as they're not exposed to freezing temperatures or wind chills and high moisture they'll be perfectly fine. The cocoons are sealed. Weather anomalies do occur in all regions where temps drop way below freezing, so I encourage you to harvest your cocoons and protect them - It's very rewarding and let's you know a healthy gardening season is forthcoming!
Q7. Why do you need to disinfect the pods?
A. Disinfecting the pods purges any contamination, diseases, fungal infection, mold, parasites that may be preserved during hibernation.
Cleaning the pods ensures a peaceful hibernation that guarantees the health of the bees when they emerge!
Thank you for asking these questions, I'm sorry they were not answered in the video :(
There were still many more topics I didn't discuss, but I'm very glad you enjoyed it and found it valuable!
Most importantly, thanks for showing your support by subbing to my channel!
@@UmamiGarden I started a vanilla garden in Africa but I closed it down after a couple of years. This endeavor did not go well especially with all the corruption. Vanilla is a luxury crop that’s tedious to grow. I can earn over $300-500 per kg depending on quality. I saw you grow wasabi without running water. I love unique crops. I will try to watch more vids!
Hi,
I'm very sorry to hear about your struggles and issues within your country.
I hope one day when things settle, you can pursue this venture again, but this time with much better success!
When you do, please share your stories your agriculture workflow, I'm always interested in learning from others!
Thank you for showing your support, take care!
This is so cool. I hope your channel will explode in popularity in near future !
Hi 눈_눈Paimon!
It did! Well, my heart exploded with joy reading your comment!
another great video!
I love your beautiful and informative video. I will have to watch it several times in attempt to catch every single word. You are providing valuable information, but you're speaking very fast, to the point where you swallow the end of words. To me, every word you say is very important. In future videos, please try to slow down a bit. I live in southern Ontario, Canada, where the population of honey bees has dropped by 60% from last year to this year, due to some mites infestation. This spring and summer, I have not seen a single honey bee. In my small backyard, I have 20 well established blueberry bushes, raspberries and vegetables growing that need to be pollinated. I am mostly concerned about the pollination of the blueberries since they bloom the earliest. This year, 2022, I had only 2 bumble bees doing the job. I read that bumble bees can be very picky and pollinate only those blueberry varieties that taste good to them and ignore the rest. That would explain why they did not visit half of my blueberry bushes. This fall, I planted 60 bulbs of grape hyacinth flowers in between the blueberry bushes as companion plants, to increase availability of pollen for the bees in the spring. I have pre-ordered 20 Mason bee cocoons for 2023 release. I have no idea how hungry my 20 Mason bees will be. In your video, you recommend to stagger the release of the hatched bees. So if I release 10 bees at the beginning of May, when majority of my blueberries start blooming, when should I release the other 10 bees? After watching your video, I think I want to pre-order the leaf cutting bees in addition to the Mason bees. Do leaf cutting bees like blueberry or raspberry leaves and maple tree leaves? In the front of my house, I also have a rose bush that I planted this spring. I have several lavender plants around the rose bush to repel aphids. As a result, the rose leaves are clean, healthy and free of aphids or any other visible pests. I don't use any pesticides.
Hi JS,
Thank you so much for taking the time to type out this thoughtful response.
I'll slow down a bit, I tend to get excited when I explain things I'm deeply passionate about!
It pains me to hear that the bee population has declined even outside of my demographics.
One thing you can do is plant flowers or fruit trees, this will encourage bee activity in addition to other beneficial pollinators.
Honey bees will be attracted to any flower in your garden, avoid using anything that may harm pollinators, fungicide, soapy water, neem oil, pesticides and bird feeders.
My routine to release the mason bees is usually 1-2 weeks after spring, this prevents them from being devoured by birds, also gives them time to look for a mate, nest and collect pollen from spring flowers. After 3 weeks of consistent spring weather, you can release the remaining bees or wait until a week before spring. I also noticed you've adopted several leaf cutter bees as well! They too can be released simultaneously, but make sure there are enough plants around for leaf cutter bees to nest or they'll migrate elsewhere until they're comfortable.
The most import part of solitary bees is to keep water source in a neutral area.
A small bowl with rocks, small pond or fountain shall suffice. Without water, the bees will not stay long.
I hope this information answers all your questions, if not please let me know how I can help you help the bees, help us!
Thank you so much for your support!
@@UmamiGarden Thank you for the tip about providing water for the bees. I will keep that in mind.
I learned so much. Thank you.
Hi Michael,
I feel very appreciated, thank you so much more!
Cheers!
Thank you for a enlightening video, the details are amazing
This is the first time I’m hearing of the categorization: Dragonfly, Threat Level, Low Risk 😂. Also nice shot of 紫蘇 and 猫紫蘇 🐈
I have start my first allotment and I thought about bees house, saw this and it's great idea to help bees grow more and pollen all food plants. 😊❤
Hi @ruthjohnson1001 !
Your garden will thank you!
Better blooms, bigger and tastier fruits, the best harvest ever!
Thanks for supporting my channel!
loved this video ...the photography music and commentary are really great. I had leafcutter bees last year. its the 1st time I've ever seen them. I'm getting some mason bees this year.
Very interesting and oddly relaxing to watch
Hi @georgmathes537!
Thank you for your positive response!
I too watch it many times, it's one of proudest moments - Took me several years to produce this video!
Thank you so much for supporting my channel!
I never even knew a leafcutter bee was a thing, until a few days ago. I was excited to see a bee, period. I now have a leafcutter by my back door, she's been working very hard. The comment about paper wasps has me worried now though, because I have a huge amount around here.
Hi Haleyelizabeth8378,
Paper wasps tend to mind their own business unless you're within their vicinity.
I'm glad you're focusing on what mattesr more, the leafcutter bee!
I hope you made a nice home for your leafcutter friend so she can invite other expecting mommies!
Thank you for your support!
I really enjoyed your video and all the information you provided. I’d like to start caring for solitary bees and promoting their presence in my home garden and I will be relying on your video for guidance. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and raising awareness about solitary bees! So much has been said about honeybees that most people have no knowledge of solitary bees. Even folks who express their awareness of the crucial role bees play in our environment and in feeding the world think honeybees are synonymous of all bees.
This is such an amazing video thank you so much!!
Just found your channel. Although not alot of videos are made they are all very high quality. Great Job!
Hi Gearz Pop,
Thank you for finding me!
Very glad you enjoy the content, many videos in production!
Thank you so much for supporting my growing channel!
thank you
Hi Jye Brodie-Snowdon!
You're very welcome! :D :D :D
I hope this video provided you all the information needed to involve yourself in solitary bee keeping!
Feel free to ask me any questions regarding this video, I enjoy it very much!
Thank you for showing your support!
you have an amazing channel, i am waiting in anticipation for your next video!
Hi Max!
You're amazing! My channel is ok :)
Thank you for supporting my channel!
Fascinating. And as usual, incredibly well presented
Hi Aussie Bush Harvest!
Glad you enjoyed it!
I hope my future videos share the same energy!
Thank you for supporting my channel!
This is absolute amazing! Thank you for your hard work. Maybe a clear food grade silicone? Easier to peel? I’ve noticed sometimes silicone naturally lifts around tub surrounds over time…
Great video😍😍😍😍
Thank you for incorporating text into your videos. It would be helpful if you put the important and difficult to understand words also in your video, like the disease names. The autocaptions are not great.
Hi @christophergs !
I greatly appreciate your feedback and yes, I will definitely consider implementing more details in important and difficult disease/illness/pest names for our viewers to do further research where needed.
Thank you so much for supporting my channel!
📌SUBSCRIBED📌 Thank you, Umami Garden, for beautifully filmed videos & a gentle approach to gardening & bee tending.
I occasionally see a tiny metallic blue-green bee emerging from ground holes under the golden poppies! They are NOT blue mason bees, but solitary, slender, iridescent and shy. I adore them and have only ever seen them near golden poppies. They are lovely & difficult to photograph
Hello again Gaia Carney!
I believe you're referring to Agapostemon (Sweat Bees) they're also solitary bees and live in the ground!
They're very pretty and are very fun to watch, exceptional pollinators!
There aren't many in my area, so documenting them could be quite a challenge.
Consider yourself very lucky! I've only seen one and before I could pull out my camera they were gone :(
Many bees are attracted to bright yellow or white flowers, thank you for providing them the feed they desperately need.
Remember, no pesticides!
Thank you again for supporting my channel!
@@UmamiGarden thanks for info on ‘my’ mystery bee 🌸 it’s dreadful that anyone sprays chemicals, don’t they care about their cats or birds or squirrels or bees or spiders or worms or snails 🐌??
Hi Gaia,
You're very welcome!
The chemicals found in department stores wreck havoc on all life forms, air, land and water.
It has the potential to turn lush rich soil into a barren wasteland.
Encourage others to practice organic gardening so we can continue to see all forms of life thrive.
Hope you had a great weekend!
These videos are such high quality, these videos are awesome!~
Hi!
You know what else is awesome?
That Christopher Layug guy :D :D :D
Thank you so much for showing your support for my channel!
Thank you for video. Best greetings from beekeepers in Ukraine.😊😮😮😊😊
Subscribed! I really enjoyed your video 😊
Hi Stacy!
That's awesome!
I totally enjoyed seeing you visit and leaving a comment!
Thank you so much for supporting my channel!
And swarm wishes!
Loved the video and info, especially how to successfully open bamboo tubes because I’m hoping to be able to harvest many healthy cocoons this year! I have always left them in situ but noticed a lot of parasitic files this spring/summer so I am going to open the tubes and save the cocoons. ❤
Hi Flossypark3169,
It took several attempts to achieve the clean cocoon extraction, behind those gloves are huge bloodied scars! JK!!!
Be careful not to hurt yourself or the bees when you're extracting.
If it's safer for you to extract the cocoons, use thicker gloves that resist sharp objects as a layer of protection.
I'm also very glad to hear you've went above and BEEyond to clean the coocons, I should have put more emphasis on the extraction and cleaning portion.
Please provide an update of how your 2023 bee season!
Thank you so much for supporting my channel and your kind words!
@@UmamiGardenhi! I successfully opened the canes, glad I did! There were literally hundreds of parasitic fly grubs where there should have been baby bees! Some chalk brood, but extracted many babies! There are hatching now, so 🤞🤞but weather hasn’t been consistent and we’ve had many cold periods! Good luck with your bees! 🐝🐝🐝🐝😊
I think we spoke before. I finally got solitary aerial lead cutter bees to nest in my garden.
What growing zone do you live in? What do you grow in your garden that the bees can feed on? How did you manage to get the leaf cutter bees to nest in your garden? How many solitary bee houses did you start with? How many leaf cutter bee cocoons did you purchase as your first-time batch? I have pre-ordered 20 Mason bee cocoon for next spring. After watching this video, I may want to purchase some leaf cutter bee cocoons as well.
I think a video about the different microgreens you grow, their uses and properties would be very interesting. And also, you seem to have a lot of very interesting and specialized tools, a video about them would be very interesting as well!
Hi Again Drain Gang Uranium!
You're definitely reading my mind!
I've already collected a years worth of footage for that 😊
As far as tools, if you're referring to the knives and supported equipment then of course I can make a video for those too!
Many of the items I use are imported from Japan, they're made sustainability in mind - Bamboo, Hinoki Cypress and Kiri wood, just to name a few.
Is there anything in particular you have in mind? I'll make sure I highlight that topic for you!
Thank you again for supporting my channel!
Having one sub that appreciates the quality content is more heartwarming than 1 million that aren't engaged 😥
@@UmamiGarden Yeah I definitely noticed that all of your knives and tools are made from sustainable materials which is awesome, and also they all look hand made which is great too, there's some great craftmanship there. I don't have anything particular in mind, maybe just going over tools which come from Japan and have very specific purposes, and also maybe talking about why certain knives have the shape that they do. Whatever you decide to make, I'll definitely watch it, stay safe!
You just explain everything so well
Hi Hashihashi1019,
I hope I did a good job! It only took me 5 years to do it 🤣😂🤣
I really enjoyed it and I'm glad you did too!
Thank you for supporting my channel!
i thought I was watching a NGO channel. keep it up bro.
Wow, thanks! :D :D :D
I guess you can call it NBG, National Backyard Geographics :D
Perhaps I should dedicate a channel?
Thank you so much for supporting my backyard channel! :D
Wow this was a beautiful video! So much amazing bee footage
Absolutely!
I totally enjoyed documenting this, and very happy to hear such positive feedback!
Cheers!
once again an amazing video!
Will definitely set this up upcoming spring.
Will try to add some bubble bee nests using a cavity with hay and dry grass aswell since these are pretty common here, we´ve mostly got bumble bees, honey bees and wasps. Would muddy water using clay soil be an ok option for the bees to close off their nests? couldn't really find info on this online.
Hi Daan!
Very heartwarming to hear you've enjoyed it!
Definitely add some shelter for these lovely bees, they'll thank you by providing a bountiful harvest!
Regarding your question about muddy water, as long as it's not thick clay, it'll be sufficient for the mason bees.
If you have a lawn or some open space somewhere with dirt, you can dig a small trench, fill it with water and mix it into a slurry.
Saturate it every other day to maintain the moisture, they tend to use more natural areas than mud in a container.
If you're able to dig deeper into a clay layer, you can fill it up entirely with water, this allows the bees to drink as well.
Basically a small pond, it'll attract other bees too!
The objective is to collect natural mud, it's more native to them compared to store bought clay.
The other option is what you suggested, leave a container with the clay mixture by their nesting area.
I had very little success with this, you may have less pickier mason bees in your area!
Bees in my area prefer dirt, all I had to do was water my plants and water exiting the containers saturated the ground.
It's fun to see them dig up the dirt and fly away, very fascinating!
I'll be more than happy to answer any other questions!
Thank you so much for supporting my channel!
What if you split the bamboo on a bandsaw and then rubber band them or tape them- would that not make emptying the larvae easier?
This was really wonderful. Thank you.
Hi Williamwoody7607 ,
I haven't thought of this but it does raise a few concerns.
1. Your personal safety when splitting the bamboo/reeds.
2. Air pockets, this tends to deter the bees as they assume it's not a sealed enclosure
3. Tape residue may leak through the openings of the split bamboo with high temperatures
Perhaps if we rearrange the approach of your suggestion, I'm sure we can make it possible!
Please share your results, there's many ways to approach the construction of bee shelters - I'm actually releasing a video regarding this topic soon!
Thank you so much for your support!
Best video ive seen on this topic
Hi @kaxiaz!
I'm so happy to hear this!
I hope it has added value to your gardening routine and provided awareness of our native pollenators!
Thank you so much for your continued support!
@@UmamiGarden Atualy i dont see any bees on my hives after 4 years, i wounder if they all died because of mites.
Imagine having a cat that likes watching bees but dislikes birds and hunts them.
Amazing.
Hi @slimeinabox !
She means the world to me!
Took a lot of training and patience to get her to understand what I approve and disapprove - There are still instincts you cannot change but she is very well behaved!
Thank you for your kind words and support for my growing channel!
As if your video, info and wonderful tone of voice are not enough to keep one glued to your video, you have a great puddy tat to clinch and secure my interest. Thank you for including your cute kitty. Hope to see much more of him! Congrats on a fascinating video. From Cape Town, in South Africa.
My goodness
Hahaha I know right! :D :D :D
Lovely video! Lots of great info!
Thank you so much. I started gardening several years ago and got interested in mason bees. I want to provide nests for them but not a lot since my garden is small. Can you leave them alone afterwards since I really don't want to open the tube. I thought I would just replace them every year if I decide to buy paper tubes. Your tutorial was very informative.
Hi Carrieannmcleod5219,
I strongly discourage leaving them as is, many reasons I've noticed is related to infestations and fungal issues.
Cleaning the tubes, not only ensures their safety but it also creates a clean and fresh environment for the next generation.
Allowing them to hatch naturally will lead to a lower population and health complications.
In summary, cleaning them provides many more benefits than a natural emergence.
Please let me know how else I can help the bees!
Thank you so much for supporting my channel!
Thank you for a beautiful video.
Wow what a valuable information. Thank you for the info. What is a perfect time for mason bees hive? I have many more questions can you help me plz?
Just found your channel! So fun, informative, and relaxing. Thank you for awsome content. I can't wait to see more videos!
Hi BossJosh!
You're very welcome!
I totally enjoy making these videos so you're in for a treat!
Many more in production, I hope they meet your expectations!
Thank you so much for supporting my channel!
Make a video about your koi pond please. It looks so healthy
Hi Lovelylittlegirl3332,
It's in the works! Thank you for your suggestion and most importantly, supporting my growing channel!
Nature is amazing, thank you for this education. The music so relaxing, what is the name of the musician/music group?
Hi, loved the video, very informative and nice visuals. I do have a question: Why do you harvest te cocoons? Can't you just let the natural proces do its thing?
Your video quality is amazing, each video of yours is incredibly inspiring and has convinced me to raise bees myself. How do leaf cutter bees spread pollen so well, when they don’t tend to get near to pollen sources too often?
Hi Sam!
I totally enjoy raising solitary bees!
My city ordnance didn't allow me to keep honey bees because our neighbors are within proximity of the honey bee hives.
The best time to start is around spring time, I hope the video did a fair job of explaining how to get started!
Leafcutter bees spread the pollen on another level, this is because they carry pollen on their bellies and often times, entire body!
If you noticed the video, when you see a closeup shot of them carry pollen on their bellies, you can see it on their head, back and legs!
There's definitely other facts that I have yet to learn, each year as I observe them I learn something new!
Thank you so much for supporting my growing channel!
awesome content
Hi @alpineflauge909 !!!
No, you're awesome! Thank you for supporting my channel - It's what keeps me motivated!
Grossartig 💐🥇🏆
👍🙏✌️
Hallo AndreRMeyer,
Und vielen Dank für Ihr Lob und vor allem für Ihre geschätzte Unterstützung für meinen Kanal!
I LOVE YOU! well... I love bees, so this video was so cool!! so thank you
Hi FranKoPepez !
The feeling is mutual! In regards to bees of course :)
Very glad to hear you've enjoyed my video, it took me several years to complete i!
Thank you so much for supporting my channel!
Lovely
Hi Verity Wolfe,
You're also very lovely too!
Thank you again for showing your support!
03/26/24, a great film, thank you so much for sharing your knowledge 👌👍 my experience too, bambou very much liked by insects.
Herb from the southern Alps, France
Food forest grower, usda 7
Any recommendations on how to get started? Diameter of openings? Any books or videos you recommend?
I live in Southeast North America.
I am new to this and am fascinated. I have a nest house that shows much activity here in early February. I did not realize there was so much annual maintenance required. Must all of this be done or will the next generation clean the tubes themselves next year? You provide an incredible amount of information, but I am not able to get most of it due to very muddled audio and speaking too fast. Any chance of correcting this so us older folks can learn from you too?
When providing a unnatural nesting place, it must be cleaned or they will aquire more and more parasites every year.
So yes, they need the annual maintenance cleaning.
You don't have to clean off every single individual, just line the tubes with bamboo or paper and after they leave in the spring/summer replace them.
Hi Park!
Cleaning isn't mandatory, but it's encourage to increase the survival rate of these bees.
In terms of maintenance, it's actually not that bad if you're using natural or organic materials so they can be easily composted.
I'll add details where you'd like me to expand upon, sometimes I get too excited during my videos! If you think that's fast, you should hear me talk in person LOL!
Please let me know how I can help you, help the bees!
Thank you so much for your continued support!
This is perfect information!
Thank you for sharing!
Thanks for the "Transcript". I'm new to bees and experimenting with insect houses and this video answered most of my concerns!
U have a nice narrator voice. Great video
Would you suggest having an established garden before making a solitary bee shelter? Also, would it still be beneficial to the bees jf I only had flowers, not fruits and vegetables?
Hi Tys,
Absolutely, an established garden will attract solitary bees and many other pollinators.
A few plants with blooms may not be enough to keep them around, but a few fruit plants and spring flowers will change their mind!
If you have only some fruits and mainly vegetables, I encourage you to look into leaf cutter bees. They don't have the high requirements mason bee's do.
Thank you and I hope this information helps!
Was considering trying this as I have dwarf bamboo growing and I have to cut it now and again. My only concern is my trailer park has palmettos and German roaches. I can keep them out of my home but if I make bug homes and they take them it could escalate very fast
Hi Matt,
You bring up a good point!
However, you can avoid this issue by creating nesting area on a high wooden stake.
Or, place it on a metal pole - This keeps rodents, unwanted pests or any other predators away.
Hope this helps!
Thank you for asking!
I am looking at building up a colony for future pollinating. When pollen is in short supply along with nectar, has anyone used pollen substitute and sugar water?
These are not colony bees. This is a video on solitary mason and leaf cutter bees.
Hi Russell!
This is definitely possible but not encouraged.
With sugar water, it'll attract ants, colony bees, in addition to wasps and birds.
I encourage you to plant flowers in early spring, it'll attract many beneficial insects including butterflies!
Please let me know how I can help!
Thank you for your support!
I love 🐝 🐝 🐝 ❤❤
Where are you in US? If you have time and inspiration we could make video discussion online like zoom about nature in US or Japan. Keep in touch.
what if i just build the bee house without harvesting the cocoons ? Will bees still hatch and grow on their own ?
Hi Giovanni9045,
This will work, but I wouldn't encourage it.
They'll hatch and will be less inclined to return since the space appears occupied.
By cleaning them individually, you ensure their health and no fungal infections or spores are spread to the next generation.
Cleaning may seem mundane, but think of all the benefits you're getting after taking care of them!
Honestly, I really enjoy cleaning everything out for them, it's very satisfying for me!
I hope this provides the answer you're looking for!
Have watched so many videos on this this afternoon that I've forgotten if you suggested to use a bleach solution to clean the bee pods? If so do we soak the leaf pods in bleach solution too?
Once you take the pods out of the fridge in spring do you put them into the 'rooms' in the hive again to leave them to hatch?
Hi Elly Davis!
Yes, you can use a bleach solution, 1 teaspoon of bleach for 1 cup of water.
This will eradicate everything surrounding the cocoons.
The leafcutter bees do not need to be cleaned, you'll just need to roll them around your fingers to remove the loose leaves.
They're packed very tightly, if you see any mold signs of parasites I encourage you to clean them.
I don't often clean them, it's rare for them to be as dirty as the mason bee cocoons.
In terms of hatching, I keep them in a small 8oz deli container with a small opening and wet towel.
Or if you noticed in my video, I have a stone lantern by my koi pond that has holes large enough for them to go in and out as they please but nothing larger than them can enter. The stone also radiates the warmth they need, I stumbled upon it and realized how useful it was for solitary bees!
Please let me know if you have any other questions, I'll bee more than happy to help you! 😁😁😁
Thank you so much for supporting my channel!
@@UmamiGarden Thanks so much for taking the time to reply with extra advice. Your video was invaluable to this newbie solitary bee guardian (hopefully).
Hi Elly Davis!
Absolutely!
One day, you'll be teaching me instead!
I hope all of my future videos continue to provide you the motivation and spread joy to others as well!
Thank you!
hello i need some help asap i put a couple of bee shelters up this year and all was going great plenty of bees en most of the tubes where getting capped of but when in walk out this morning 1 of the bee shelters all the capps where gone en found some pollen on the base what do i do with the rest ? and what happend please help !?
Those six inch tubes will only get you drone cocoons. You need eleven inch tubes to maximize female cocoons.
Hi @FatNebraskaMom !
I'll remember this next year when I setup their nesting tubes!
Thank you for your feedback and support!
@@UmamiGarden the female bee selects the gender of her eggs based on how much space she has. The males are laid at the front of the tube, because they're the first ones out to scout for food. And if the tubes are too short, you get one or two females for every tube. Longer tubes maximize your population. Also be careful of the weather. This last spring I lost all of my bees and it wrecked me.
where did you get the first batch of bees from ? Thanks!
Hi Dave!
Thanks for asking, my first batch of bees were discovered in my backyard!
I had several fruit trees that fail to set fruit year after year, sometimes very minimal fruit.
I decided to setup a mason shelter and they started moving in.
I continued to do this year after year and the quality of fruit and life around my garden improved like day and night!
This applies to my leafcutter bees too!
Both are native to my area (California, Bay Area) but their population has dwindled over the past several years
This is caused by use of pesticides or areas affected by drought, drought resistant plants do not meet solitary bee requirements.
Please help the environment by encouraging their growth, if you have fruit trees or flowers that bloom in the spring, you'll be surprised what they're capable of!
Please feel free to contact me on Instagram and I'll be more than happy to answer any questions!
Thank you so much for your support!
@@UmamiGarden : Thanks!
do you reuse bamboo sticks?
I don't, because I have a supply of River bamboo growing near me.
Hi @BeekeepingEstonia !
You can reuse the bamboo pieces only if they're sanitized.
Do this by leaving them in the sun to cure and store in a dry environment until usage.
I would only reuse the bamboo if the structure isn't compromised in any way.
I'm very glad to hear you're doing your best to promote sustainability and promoting the population of our solitary bees!
Thank you so much for your continued support for my channel!
So they make honey. If not worthless
Why not just leave them?
Hi,
Human intervention increases their survivability from natural elements such as :
1. Rodents
2. Relentless rain
3. Emerging prematurely
4. Predators
5. Fungal infections parasites
Additionally, this also allows us to control how they're released in a more graceful manner that promotes their health.
I hope this answers your questions and beyond!
Thank you for supporting my channel!
no idea these bees could communicate huh
Hi Gaming Rex!
They really fascinating to watch as they develop during their lifetime.
Makes you appreciate them so much more than what you've heard.
Thank you for supporting my channel!
I dont understand your preference for Bamboo, as they cant be inspected unless you ruin them by cracking them open.l have replaced them with either cardboard bought in nest tubes or my own home made using stems of Giant Hog weed or Japanese knotweed which is very strong and lining them with brown paper which can easily be pulled out in Autumn.ruclips.net/video/FHKIw0MlRHE/видео.htmlsi=KblSJozUxzp8lj-n
I don't think the first one counts
you are wrong about lizards.....anoles love leafcutter bees
if u didn't tell me that was bee. i will smack it like flies
Hi Minh!
They're definitely not flies!
From a distance they do look very similar, but a closer look you'll definitely be able to identify them.
Mason bees fly much quicker and flight motion is very similar to a drone.
Flies move in zig zags or clumsy flight patterns, they also have red eyes and mason bees do not.
Identify them before you do any harm!
Thanks for supporting my channel!
MAN VS BEE
Good video but keep your cat inside.
Hi!
Thank you for your praise and yes she does stay indoors!
She's only out when I'm outside in the garden, which is most of the sunlight hours!
I adopted her as a feral cat, spent about 6 months to acclimate her and another year to domesticate her! August was her 5th birthday! :D :D :D
Thank you so much for your continued support!
what happened to your instagram
Hi Félix André!
It's a work in progress - It'll be updated very soon!
Feel free to follow me and message me if you have any questions about my channel!
I'll be posting my year's work of production to give everyone an idea of what to expect in the future videos.
Thank you for visiting my channel and showing your support!
To this video producer: Please slow down, and enunciate your words. Its hard to understand you. Speak more slowly, articulate clearly, and avoid slurring your words together. That way,
the valuable information will be easier to understand. Thank you.
Boring