A report on Mason Bees for 2014...

Hi.
I took the mason bees down a few days ago and here's my report:
In the two mason bee condos in my back yard (one plastic and one paper tubes, a style that Derry Walsh recommended) there were NO cocoons! None. Not one. Not even any horrible evidence that there had been some but they'd been destroyed.
In the one plastic condo in the Greenway, there were a total of 7 viable cocoons and lots of icky stuff (like maggots and two live wasps, etc. — it's not a fun process, cleaning them out). Those 7 are now in my fridge until spring.
Disappointing, this year!
Here's hoping for better results next year! We'll have to purchase some cocoons in the spring.
Penny