Stupid question. How does this bee house actually benefit bees? And how does this benefit a small time gardener?
1325032
This is a house for Mason bees - see <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mason_bee>. The bees are non-stinging, and are active only in the Spring, after which time they die off. During the Spring, the bees gather nectar and pollen and insert it as a mass into the compartments of the house. Eggs which are laid on top of the nectar/pollen mass hatch in early Spring. The bees are great pollinators of flowers, especially the flowers of fruit trees. We have peach and apple trees in our backyard that are pollinated by 100's of our Mason bees. We have had a very hard winter here in southeast Michigan - hopefully, the eggs laid last Spring by our bees will be able to hatch o.k. in a few weeks. This is a house for Mason bees - see <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mason_bee>. The bees are non-stinging, and are active only in the Spring, after which time they die off. During the Spring, the bees gather nectar and pollen and insert it as a mass into the compartments of the house. Eggs which are laid on top of the nectar/pollen mass hatch in early Spring. The bees are great pollinators of flowers, especially the flowers of fruit trees. We have peach and apple trees in our backyard that are pollinated by 100's of our Mason bees. We have had a very hard winter here in southeast... » Read More This is a house for Mason bees - see <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mason_bee>. The bees are non-stinging, and are active only in the Spring, after which time they die off. During the Spring, the bees gather nectar and pollen and insert it as a mass into the compartments of the house. Eggs which are laid on top of the nectar/pollen mass hatch in early Spring. The bees are great pollinators of flowers, especially the flowers of fruit trees. We have peach and apple trees in our backyard that are pollinated by 100's of our Mason bees. We have had a very hard winter here in southeast Michigan - hopefully, the eggs laid last Spring by our bees will be able to hatch o.k. in a few weeks. « Show Less
1325033
Many species of bee are solitary, meaning they don't live in hives. They lay their eggs in small holes and seal them with mud. Each hole in this house will hold 4 to 6 eggs. The solitary bees pollinate crops and/or flowers the same as common honeybees. Bees are extremely important to the worlds food production and all species of pollinating bees are currently in crisis, thus any help you can give the bees in your area will benefit whatever you are growing in your garden. I actually had to pollinate my squash because there are so few bees in my area. And yes, you can pollinate your own crops, but it's so much easier if you have some bees to do it for you. Many species of bee are solitary, meaning they don't live in hives. They lay their eggs in small holes and seal them with mud. Each hole in this house will hold 4 to 6 eggs. The solitary bees pollinate crops and/or flowers the same as common honeybees. Bees are extremely important to the worlds food production and all species of pollinating bees are currently in crisis, thus any help you can give the bees in your area will benefit whatever you are growing in your garden. I actually had to pollinate my squash because there are so few bees in my area. And yes, you can pollinate your own... » Read More Many species of bee are solitary, meaning they don't live in hives. They lay their eggs in small holes and seal them with mud. Each hole in this house will hold 4 to 6 eggs. The solitary bees pollinate crops and/or flowers the same as common honeybees. Bees are extremely important to the worlds food production and all species of pollinating bees are currently in crisis, thus any help you can give the bees in your area will benefit whatever you are growing in your garden. I actually had to pollinate my squash because there are so few bees in my area. And yes, you can pollinate your own crops, but it's so much easier if you have some bees to do it for you. « Show Less
1325034
This is a house for Mason bees - see &lt;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mason_bee&gt;. The bees are non-stinging, and are active only in the Spring, after which time they die off. During the Spring, the bees gather nectar and pollen and insert it as a mass into the compartments of the house. Eggs which are laid on top of the nectar/pollen mass hatch in early Spring. The bees are great pollinators of flowers, especially the flowers of fruit trees. We have peach and apple trees in our backyard that are pollinated by 100's of our Mason bees. We have had a very hard winter here in southeast Michigan - hopefully, the eggs laid last Spring by our bees will be able to hatch o.k. in a few weeks.
1325035
This house is for the orchard mason bee, which are small. The female bees use these houses to lay their eggs. This type of bee is not so "hive-minded" like honey bees. But! Mason bees are work horses at pollinating-better than honey bees. more pollination more product. :) Google "Mason bees" there is quite a bit information there-from buying bees, managing bees, wintering over bee cocoons, mud, preditors, parasites and etc. I bought this house for my dad's vegetable garden; this will be his first year with the bees. He is very excited. Good luck to you and happy gardening with your new little friends! ;) This house is for the orchard mason bee, which are small. The female bees use these houses to lay their eggs. This type of bee is not so "hive-minded" like honey bees. But! Mason bees are work horses at pollinating-better than honey bees. more pollination more product. :) Google "Mason bees" there is quite a bit information there-from buying bees, managing bees, wintering over bee cocoons, mud, preditors, parasites and etc. I bought this house for my dad's vegetable garden; this will be his first year with the bees. He is very excited. Good luck to you and happy... » Read More This house is for the orchard mason bee, which are small. The female bees use these houses to lay their eggs. This type of bee is not so "hive-minded" like honey bees. But! Mason bees are work horses at pollinating-better than honey bees. more pollination more product. :) Google "Mason bees" there is quite a bit information there-from buying bees, managing bees, wintering over bee cocoons, mud, preditors, parasites and etc. I bought this house for my dad's vegetable garden; this will be his first year with the bees. He is very excited. Good luck to you and happy gardening with your new little friends! ;) « Show Less
2189227
All last summer we got about 6 bees and we have to units .. This spring they are drilling every place but here! I would try your method first!
679685
That's a good question but I don't have the answer, sorry :(I do know that we have bee hives on our property but haven't had any issues with the bees on the feeder :)
1344839
No. Not necessarily. It can be used in the springduring build up and the fall as bees prepare for winter. I know some who feed it all year to weak hives. If you live in an area with less diversity in flowering plants, i'd consider it.
1438027
I would contact the manufacturer for the best answer. I did read in the description, "not to allow to drift to blooming plants when bees are in the area".
815759
I used it last summer (Tampa Bay area) and had good results. I put it in a pump sprayer and sprayed all around the doors, base of the house, on the walls, and deck. Not as many got in the house since they weren't hanging around the doors. With all our rains, I had to re spray every couple of days though. It seems to repel them for awhile. I didn't have as many getting in the house last season. If it looked like there was going to be a few days of no rain, I would spray the shrubbery too. You definitely need to strain the juice with some cheese cloth as you put it in the sprayer. It's garlic particles will clog the sprayer wand. I wore disposable gloves when handling the cheese cloth. That STRONG garlic smell will stick with you if you get it on you. It didn't get rid of them all, but it did help, and it's not toxic. Reapply as often as you like. Just don't spray the bees and butterflies directly.
435640
I haven't had a problem with bees so far. I do have flowers just a few feet away from the Hummzinger that attracts bees, wasps, butterflies and other bugs. I have seen bees or wasps flying in the vicinity of the Hummzinger, but have not seen any try to land on it. They just continue on by.
589649
Ours hangs from a short chain just below our pergola--the very pergola the bees were drilling. We have caught several bees in the trap and have seen none boring in our pergola. We love it! Works great.
1151067
Because this is not Organic. Note the name of the producer is "Y.S. Organic Bee Farm". They do also sell the organic kind, just not this one. Quite misleading with the green label and all..
1139983
no. It was for stinkbugs. We want bees to come into our flowers and garden to pollinate.
1156029
We have not tried this on ground bees....if you or anyone else has please let us know how it works.
234376
I have two of these feeders. One I have hanging hooked on a pieces of fishing line over a tree branch. You can make a loop in the fishing line and hook the feeder onto it. I haven;t had any bugs in this feeder at all. Bees land on it but they haven't got in the feeder. The second one I had hanging from one of those six or seven foot garden hooks and I got ants and earwigs in it all the time. Today I hung that one in a tree with the nylon fishing line and hope it will be the end of the bug problem. Good Luck
1478884
I put my bee house in full sun and had no issues. Had lots of bee residents!
1373164
Ground bees can be tough to get rid of. Before you decide to evict your ground bees, consider this. These bees serve an important purpose as pollinators. They're not aggressive, and in most cases, you can still mow your lawn and continue your regular outdoor activities without fear of being stung. And nesting activity is limited to spring, so ground bees won't stay for long. Unless you have concerns for a family member with a bee venom allergy, it's usually preferable to leave ground bees alone. The easiest and least toxic method of controlling ground bees is simply to water the area. As soon as you see ground bee activity, start soaking the area with a full inch of water per week. This is usually enough to discourage the burrowing females, and to make them relocate to drier ground. A thick layer of mulch on bare garden beds will also make ground bees think twice about nesting there.Pesticides are not recommended for the control of ground bees.
258267
I have had more bees (all breeds) around this summer than ever - they have been drinking the treated water and it doesn't seem to have hurt them. Haven't seen any around for the past 3 weeks and I'm hoping it's because the weather has been getting much colder. Perhaps you should call or email the company to make sure it is safe for honey bees in your area.
435644
The bees can't feed. There is a distance from the "lid" part where the feeder holes are and the "bowl" where the nectar is. The humming birds perch and then have to dip their beaks through the holes. It's fun when they have filled their beaks because then they put their heads up and swallow. The top is smooth and the flower is not a separate piece. It is red, not yellow. We have wasps feeding on our other feeders, but not this one. The picture does a good job of showing how it works. Our hummingbirds are territorial so they only feed one at a time. We love this feeder. Very easy to clean and fill. No spilling. The bees can't feed. There is a distance from the "lid" part where the feeder holes are and the "bowl" where the nectar is. The humming birds perch and then have to dip their beaks through the holes. It's fun when they have filled their beaks because then they put their heads up and swallow. The top is smooth and the flower is not a separate piece. It is red, not yellow. We have wasps feeding on our other feeders, but not this one. The picture does a good job of showing how it works. Our hummingbirds are territorial so they only feed one at a time. We love this feeder.... » Read More The bees can't feed. There is a distance from the "lid" part where the feeder holes are and the "bowl" where the nectar is. The humming birds perch and then have to dip their beaks through the holes. It's fun when they have filled their beaks because then they put their heads up and swallow. The top is smooth and the flower is not a separate piece. It is red, not yellow. We have wasps feeding on our other feeders, but not this one. The picture does a good job of showing how it works. Our hummingbirds are territorial so they only feed one at a time. We love this feeder. Very easy to clean and fill. No spilling. « Show Less
1405322
It did not. I have my bee house hanging over my butterfly garden, next to my hummingbird feeder. Everybody seems to work together in complete harmony! :-)