Making mason bee B&Bs is a lot easier than it looks. As I told my most recent class at Ann’s Place, all it takes is a series of tubes that about between 1/4 and 3/8 inch in diameter. I was able to forage the tubes from a stand of invasive bamboo (Phyllostachys aurea) and cut them to a short 6-inch length.
“Make sure you remove the strands from the ends of the tubes, “ I tell my clients. “The neater the tube, the better it will attract the mason bees. Also at the base of the bamboo there may be some sharp edges that will need to be trimmed to get everything to fit easily.”
My clients nod and start to pull off the strands. I also recommended them to get some paper straws.“You may wonder why I asked you to get straws, “ I start. “It’s because some of the bamboo is too wide for the mason bees to make a home but if you stuff the larger ones with straws, they will take to them.”
“Can we use plastic straws?”
“No, because they can get mold and infect the nest,” I answer. “Also as some of you may have noticed, the base of the PVC tube may not be flush against the wood I gave you as a base. You should seal it with some exterior caulk on the top but leave the bottom untreated so any water that does get in has a way to drain out.”
My clients nod and stuff the tube with the straws and bamboo. Wooden shims are pushed in to give everything a tight fit.After I show my finished bee B&B to Juana, she gives it a look and decides that it needs some bark siding to soften the white plastic pipe. I never thought of that, but it looks quite good.
