Winter storage needed for mason bee house? - Ask Extension
We bought a mason bee house this summer, and there are a few of the bamboo spots that are mudded in, so I'm assuming that there are mason bees inside....
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Winter storage needed for mason bee house? #676019
Asked October 07, 2020, 2:01 PM EDT
We bought a mason bee house this summer, and there are a few of the bamboo spots that are mudded in, so I'm assuming that there are mason bees inside. The directions that came with the house say to store in an unheated garage or storage shed for the winter. Should we do that, or should we leave it outside? Whenever I see instructions like these, I always wonder how they might be different since we live in Minnesota with our long cold winters. Also, if we are supposed to bring it into a storage shed or unheated garage, should it be placed inside a bag of some type, or just set on a shelf until spring? And then, when is the best time to bring it back outside and hang it back up? Currently, it's mounted on a pole that we put into the ground near our wildflower garden, cherry trees, and raspberry patch. Thank you for any advice you can offer!
All County Minnesota
Expert Response
Hello! Happy to help.
It's okay to leave the bee house outside in Minnesota. But having read this great article about creating your own bee house, I've learned that the new bees that emerge next spring will not return to the nest that they emerged from for their progeny. The article also recommends having two sets of houses so that one can be cleaned while the other cleaned one that sat out the previous year can be set out in early spring for the next season's bees.
In that case, it makes sense to have two different locations for your houses. Or you can move the occupied house to an emergence location in the fall where the mature bees can emerge next spring.
I'm wary of any suggestion to store a bee house in an unheated garage or even putting the house in a bag of some sort because it's too easy to forget them and they may not find their emergence in an ideal spot.
It's okay to leave the bee house outside in Minnesota. But having read this great article about creating your own bee house, I've learned that the new bees that emerge next spring will not return to the nest that they emerged from for their progeny. The article also recommends having two sets of houses so that one can be cleaned while the other cleaned one that sat out the previous year can be set out in early spring for the next season's bees.
In that case, it makes sense to have two different locations for your houses. Or you can move the occupied house to an emergence location in the fall where the mature bees can emerge next spring.
I'm wary of any suggestion to store a bee house in an unheated garage or even putting the house in a bag of some sort because it's too easy to forget them and they may not find their emergence in an ideal spot.
The article also shows many ways to build that second house should you decide to try that out.
I hope this information helps.
Thank you, Ellen! We'll get a second mason bee house, as you have suggested. I'm so glad to know more about helping mason bees. And thank you for the link so that we can read about creating our own bee houses, too.
