Where do you put a leafcutter bee house?

Location: Install the bee house on a sturdy wall, fence or tree – bees do not like swinging in the breeze. Leafcutter bees only fly about 300ft (100m) in search of nectar and pollen, so place their house near where you need pollination.

How many leafcutter bees do I need?

How Many Bees Do I Need? A single female Leafcutter Bee visits 100,000+ blossoms per day whereas a honey bee visits 50-1000. This means they pollinate 100% more effectively and efficiently than honey bees. As rule of thumb for a backyard garden is 1 bee per square foot.

How do you raise leaf cutter bees?

Leafcutter bees are easy to raise because all you need to do is set up their bee house filled with nesting holes, place out their cocoons, and make sure that you plant plenty of flowers. Each female leafcutter bee can visit 2000 blooms or more per day!

Can leafcutter bees sting?

Leafcutter bees are not aggressive and sting only when handled. Their sting is very mild, much less painful than that of honeybees or yellowjacket wasps. Leafcutter bees are solitary bees, meaning that they don’t produce colonies as do social insects (honeybees, yellowjackets, ants, etc.).

When do you put out the leafcutter bees?

According to Bob Mennie, production manager of Mennie Bee Farms Inc., near Parkside, Sask., leafcutter bees are “easy to handle and tend to stay close to where the shelters are.” Bees are put out into the field when the alfalfa has five to 10 per cent bloom, to ensure that the bees have food. This usually happens around July 1.

How much does a gallon of leafcutter bees cost?

Bees are sold by the gallon — about 10,000 bees. While price per gallon varies, last year’s top price was about $100/gallon. Farmers interested in growing alfalfa for seed but not interested in getting into leafcutter bee production can look into custom pollination.

How many eggs does a leafcutter bee lay?

An egg is laid in each cell and she may create up to 20 cells with eggs. Females are only 33% of the population so you need three larvae to replace one female bee. 7. In a short time the females fly their wings off and die.

What happens to a leafcutter bee when it leaves its cocoon?

Cutting their way out of their cocoon with their mandibles, the new adults emerge. At this stage they are ready to fly into the world to find food in the form of nectar and pollen. This food gives them enough energy to grow just a bit more.