Ivy Miner Bees

[Gone West]

We are levelling our back garden ready for turfing and are using earth from a pile stored in the garden. Originally the pile was around 12m long, 4m wide and 2m high. We used half of it to landscape the front garden a few years ago and the remainder has sat there being colonised by miner bees. Over the last two or three years we have had more and more Ivy Miner Bees nesting and this year we have thousands of them. Unfortunately their site is slowly being decimated by us and we uncover nests with females waiting to hatch out. They are amazingly robust but as soon as they fly off they are grabbed by the males that are waiting to mate with them. It's very interesting watching them but it does slow up the work being done. The area I videoed is about a foot square.

https://www.bumblebeeconservation.org/ivyminingbee/

 

Edited September 15, 2019 by PeterStarck

[Onoff]

We have had, in the past, lots of mason and leafcutter bees. Before we permanently positioned the various little wooden boxes for them, over 2 successive years they faced SW, First, we put them on a patio table and before we could fix them they were colonised. The next year taken off the table and placed on a concrete step again the bees quickly moved in.

 

Last year I moved them high up under the eaves, maybe 8' off the ground, facing SE. Pretty much no takers!

 

I wonder if the boxes are too high or not warm enough now?

 

My attempt at making one. I was thinking maybe nobody has moved in as it's treated wood but more thinking its positioning:

 

 

 

 

 

[Onoff]

25 minutes ago, PeterStarck said:

colonised by miner bees

 

You've a large wildflower area haven't you? 

[Gone West]

15 minutes ago, Onoff said:

 

You've a large wildflower area haven't you? 

I wouldn't say large, it's only a few square metres. We have had most success with leaf cutter bees when the box has been at head height and facing anywhere from south to west. At the moment it's in a temporary position facing north and there haven't been any takers. I didn't know before but on Gardeners World, this week, they said the canes should be replaced every year.