tomburras 2,730 Posted June 9, 2014 Report Share Posted June 9, 2014 (edited) Hi, last year I put a couple of bee box's out and my friend gave me 10 pupas, five female and 5 male pupas. The box went out in early march and I tapped the 10 pupas to the back of one of the box's and waited over the next couple of months to see what happened as my old boxs I put out when I was a kid never had a single bit of interest. They emerged mid April and filled about 20 of the tubes. Apparently they put in a mud plug at the back of the box then fill it with pollen and lay an egg, then build another mud plug. I expect there can be 5 per cane straw so then the front is capped there should be a few laid in there. The grub hatches from the egg and eats the pollen and then pupates with a fully grown bee forming inside the pupa- this then overwinters and when it hatches in spring it starts again spreading throughout the box,s. Apparently the females are laid at the back and the males at the front, the males hatch first and are ready and waiting for the emerging females. Here's a PIC from this year so far, this was a new empty box a few weeks ago............ Here's a PIC of a open mud plug, you can see some of the pollen and some bees in the cane straws............ And here's a PIC of some waiting for the rain can stop so their work can carry on.............. They are great to watch, I sometimes sit in the garden with a few cold beers and watch them they don't stop, they are hard little workers! U can watch them carry pollen in and plug holes from inches away they don't mind you been at the box at all. Cheers. Tom. Edited June 9, 2014 by tomburras 12 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
skinner 348 Posted June 9, 2014 Report Share Posted June 9, 2014 spot on that Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Alimac2 321 Posted June 15, 2014 Report Share Posted June 15, 2014 Very interesting cheers .. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Rake aboot 4,936 Posted June 15, 2014 Report Share Posted June 15, 2014 Pretty cool that Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ArchieHood 3,692 Posted June 15, 2014 Report Share Posted June 15, 2014 I made my own tubes this year, had nothing for a while.....and then they appeared, I have about 25 full tubes now which I will open and clean at the end October, they will then live in the fridge untill the weather warms up. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tiny 7 1,694 Posted June 15, 2014 Report Share Posted June 15, 2014 Somthing different. .. might put a few up see what happens Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Rake aboot 4,936 Posted June 15, 2014 Report Share Posted June 15, 2014 No more Archie avatars ! boooooooo! 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ArchieHood 3,692 Posted June 15, 2014 Report Share Posted June 15, 2014 No more Archie avatars ! boooooooo!Luckily she was sleeping.... 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
tomburras 2,730 Posted June 16, 2014 Author Report Share Posted June 16, 2014 I made my own tubes this year, had nothing for a while.....and then they appeared, I have about 25 full tubes now which I will open and clean at the end October, they will then live in the fridge untill the weather warms up That's awesome archiehood, next year I'm going to make my own tubes and box's - great to watch arnt they! Did you put your own pupas in or did they move in on their own? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ArchieHood 3,692 Posted June 16, 2014 Report Share Posted June 16, 2014 They moved in on their own, amazing how quick they can fill a tube.I will make a few for the family next year and get them all involved. I use the brown wrapping paper from the Post Office, 6 inches x 3 inches rolled on a 8mm dowel, and a bit of sellotape to hold it together.I will try to make a block house as well. http://masonbee.blogspot.co.uk/ 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
tomburras 2,730 Posted June 16, 2014 Author Report Share Posted June 16, 2014 They moved in on their own, amazing how quick they can fill a tube.I will make a few for the family next year and get them all involved. I use the brown wrapping paper from the Post Office, 6 inches x 3 inches rolled on a 8mm dowel, and a bit of sellotape to hold it together.I will try to make a block house as well. http://masonbee.blogspot.co.uk/ Cheers for that, it was a good read. There's some good videos on them on YouTube too. After this year I plan to make something similar thats wooden, cleanable and reusable so I can clean the pupas and also get some family/friends a bee box started too. I'll try make some cardboard ones like yours this weekend and put them out as they are still buisy and filling tubes like mad! Atb tom. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
j j m 6,633 Posted June 19, 2014 Report Share Posted June 19, 2014 very good Quote Link to post Share on other sites
The one 8,612 Posted June 19, 2014 Report Share Posted June 19, 2014 Seen a bit about it on the telly nice to see its no just one of the agency's doing there bit 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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