Comments on: Cleaning solitary bee cocoons with sand http://solitarybee.com/blog/2010/02/cleaning-solitary-bee-cocoons-with-sand/ Orchard Mason Bees and other native bees Tue, 31 Aug 2010 22:02:10 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: Paul Bee http://solitarybee.com/blog/2010/02/cleaning-solitary-bee-cocoons-with-sand/comment-page-1/#comment-540 Paul Bee Sun, 16 May 2010 19:26:16 +0000 http://solitarybee.com/blog/?p=215#comment-540 Aha Gord! - I knew I wasn't to far off the mark in respect of cleaning the trays and tools. Good to see you have the site up and running. Fascinating information that you have gathered there, and yes years of work and expertise in evidence. I was very fascinated to see the open trays where they make the entire cells themselves, and yes perhaps they are precursors to social/eusocial bees. Does this mean that for mason bees it doesn't matter so much if the tubes are quite large in diameter, or is this just for a certain type of mason bee? I will put your link in behind the article reference above to your service. Cheers, Paul. Aha Gord! – I knew I wasn’t to far off the mark in respect of cleaning the trays and tools.

Good to see you have the site up and running. Fascinating information that you have gathered there, and yes years of work and expertise in evidence. I was very fascinated to see the open trays where they make the entire cells themselves, and yes perhaps they are precursors to social/eusocial bees. Does this mean that for mason bees it doesn’t matter so much if the tubes are quite large in diameter, or is this just for a certain type of mason bee?

I will put your link in behind the article reference above to your service.

Cheers, Paul.

]]> By: gord hutchings http://solitarybee.com/blog/2010/02/cleaning-solitary-bee-cocoons-with-sand/comment-page-1/#comment-538 gord hutchings Sat, 15 May 2010 19:34:18 +0000 http://solitarybee.com/blog/?p=215#comment-538 We made our own curved tools for the curved channels and a flat blade for the square dato'd channels. An old paring knife or thin putty knife ground down to the right width is what we use. Yes, we bleach the condo trays between seasons and dry thoroughly. Also a couple of coats of floor varnish (water-based) is applied to the channels with no ill-effects. Our website is at http://sites.google.com/site/hutchingsbeeservice/ and yes we do sell and mail out the individual trays, but if you want an idea of how to make, give us a tap back or check out our website regarding Creative Commons Licencing. Give us credit and don't do a commercial venture on our years of research and just copying us, is mainly what we ask We made our own curved tools for the curved channels and a flat blade for the square dato’d channels. An old paring knife or thin putty knife ground down to the right width is what we use. Yes, we bleach the condo trays between seasons and dry thoroughly. Also a couple of coats of floor varnish (water-based) is applied to the channels with no ill-effects. Our website is at http://sites.google.com/site/hutchingsbeeservice/ and yes we do sell and mail out the individual trays, but if you want an idea of how to make, give us a tap back or check out our website regarding Creative Commons Licencing. Give us credit and don’t do a commercial venture on our years of research and just copying us, is mainly what we ask

]]> By: Paul Bee http://solitarybee.com/blog/2010/02/cleaning-solitary-bee-cocoons-with-sand/comment-page-1/#comment-526 Paul Bee Sun, 09 May 2010 20:25:36 +0000 http://solitarybee.com/blog/?p=215#comment-526 Hi Marylou - thanks for your questions, I gathered that they lightly bleach or use a sterilizing solution between seasons for the trays... they are dry well before the new season. I also gathered that they made some of the tools themselves, but something like an old-style potato peeler is the correct shape to run down any curved tray channels. I am not sure if Gord sells the trays themselves right now - I know he teaches people in his local area with workshops. However I would also recommend Andrew's reclaimed wood products here at Etsy: http://www.etsy.com/listing/44977390/mason-bee-nest-orchard-bee-stacked-tray - he's a great craftsman. Hi Marylou – thanks for your questions,
I gathered that they lightly bleach or use a sterilizing solution between seasons for the trays… they are dry well before the new season. I also gathered that they made some of the tools themselves, but something like an old-style potato peeler is the correct shape to run down any curved tray channels.
I am not sure if Gord sells the trays themselves right now – I know he teaches people in his local area with workshops. However I would also recommend Andrew’s reclaimed wood products here at Etsy: http://www.etsy.com/listing/44977390/mason-bee-nest-orchard-bee-stacked-tray – he’s a great craftsman.

]]> By: Marylou http://solitarybee.com/blog/2010/02/cleaning-solitary-bee-cocoons-with-sand/comment-page-1/#comment-520 Marylou Sun, 09 May 2010 07:09:41 +0000 http://solitarybee.com/blog/?p=215#comment-520 What I missed is how and what method do they clean the wood containers the cocoons were in after they were removed ? Do they sell the tools used that seemed to work well removing them? Do they sell the wood trays and if so where? What I missed is how and what method do they clean the wood containers the cocoons were in after they were removed ?
Do they sell the tools used that seemed to work well removing them?
Do they sell the wood trays and if so where?

]]>