Red mason bee life cycle video

“It does give me a great buzz to see my two new educational bee nest boxes in a physical form from concepts inside my mind. Our honey bees are declining as well as our wild bee populations, due to use of chemicals, habitat loss and loss of forage. Who will pollinate our food and wild flowers? Our comprehension of their needs and life cycles requires education and both of my bee boxes stimulates interest, enhances our knowledge of the bees themselves and can re connect us with nature. Ultimately we and the bees can all benefit.  We can provide safe chemical free havens in our gardens for these lovely and useful creatures and watch and learn at our leisure.”

Solitary bee  box

Alongside my research for bumblebees and their usage of nest boxes I did the same for wild or solitary bees. This video of red mason bees, encapsulates the research into solitary bee ecology, via a newly designed solitary bee box. The nest box made of heavy duty FSC Wood, manufactured in NW England, allows you to watch for example, red mason bees making mud cells, egg laying, pollen storing, larval growth and cocoon spinning. The unique viewing panels allow you to study and observe their complete life cycles with minimal disturbance and are designed for easy removal when cleaning and for removing cocoons. Optional extras include a cocoon storage box that affixes to the underneath of the main nest box and interchangeable nest blocks designed to attract other wild and beneficial insects such as harmless solitary wasps, that paralyse caterpillars, aphids or even spiders to feed to their young!

See my new Registered Design award winning solitary bee box and bumblebee nest box both of which are radical, practical and educational, offering them a safer nesting environment in which you can observe the bees. Great for schools!

“All my articles and videos, available free, are funded by my  teaching and sales of award winning bumblebee nest boxessolitary bee boxes,  and wormeries. Please help by spreading the word and forwarding this link to your friends and colleagues. https://nurturing-nature.co.uk  Thank you” George Pilkington

 

For more information about solitary bees and wasps visit BWARS

For more bumblebee information and to help save bumblebees join the Bumblebee Conservation Trust at Stirling University