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To: Pete from Shawnee Mission

I put up a Mason bee house and it started filling up right away. Very cool. I have seen them on the squash blossoms too.


46 posted on 08/13/2022 3:58:36 PM PDT by MomwithHope (Forever grateful to all our patriots, past, present and future.)
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To: MomwithHope
You must have a muddy spot near by! I purchased one set of tubes and the next year a block that a Mason Bee supplier but they did not use it either year! If they stay around they probably go up under the shingles on my or a neighbor's house to nest.

Mason bees are better pollinators than honey bees!

https://backyardbeekeeping.iamcountryside.com/plants-pollination/what-do-mason-bees-pollinate/

"Mason bees work faster, darting from flower to flower at a much quicker rate than honey bees. Although honey bees can fly very fast in a straight line, when they are working flowers, they tend to dork around and take their time. Try taking pictures of both, and you can feel (and see) the difference.

Lastly, the pollen on a mason bee’s body is held loosely. They have hairs for collecting pollen on their abdomen (called a scopa), and also on their face. They use their legs to push pollen into the scopa where individual pollen grains can easily rub off onto the next flower, allowing pollination. Honey bees, on the other hand, have a pollen press on each hind leg. The honey bees moisten the pollen with nectar and then press it into the pollen baskets on each leg. This pollen — wetted and pressed — is like dough. It is unusable for pollination because it won’t rub off onto the next flower." For the sake of the honey we still like honey bees!

52 posted on 08/13/2022 5:42:42 PM PDT by Pete from Shawnee Mission (Zone 6B KS/MO Border KC area)
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