Category Archives: Fruit Trees
Success with Mason Bees
Last year was great for Mason Bees. Our little colony grew significantly; and I’ve heard similar accounts from other Seattle gardeners. In fact, I now have more cocoons than I need. So I decided to give some of them away … Continue reading
Mason Bee Tally 2012
In early May I conservatively estimated we would end up with about 250 cocoons by the end of the season. As it turns out, this was a really good year for Mason bees. After sorting and cleaning, we have 430 … Continue reading
Harvesting Mason Bee Cocoons
By late September, mason bees have completed their development and are safely ensconced in their cocoons awaiting the return of spring. It’s a good idea to now extract the individual cocoons and store them in a safe and temperature-stable location. … Continue reading
Cross-Species Grafting
It is not uncommon for the root stock to be a different kind of tree than the scion, e.g. pear is frequently grafted on to quince root stock. This spring I attempted my first cross-species grafts. While my success rate … Continue reading
Mason Bee Stats
The mason bees are busily capping tubes of pollen and brood, in a race to secure the next generation before they come to the end of their short adult lifespan around the end of May. It’s fun to keep track … Continue reading
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