Pro Tip: Bees can have trouble navigating in and out of wire mesh, so only use this method when necessary, not as a preventative measure. If the bubble is too short, birds with longer beaks and squirrels can reach the nesting materials. If the bubble is larger than 3 to 4 inches, it can deter bees from nesting. Openings smaller the 3/4" can damage bee wings. The size of the wire openings and the distance between the wire guard and the nesting materials are important to get right! Ideally, the gaps should be about 3/4," and the bubble should be a minimum of 1.5 to 2 inches and maximum 3 to 4 inches f rom the nesting materials. However, you can do a few things to protect the bees, larvae, and nesting materials inside your bee house.Ĭreate a bubble on the front of your bee house with wire mesh to protect the shelter from intrusion. It's a natural predator-prey relationship that has been around since the existence of animals. What You Can Do: There is little you can do to protect your adult bees from birds once they leave the nest to mate and forage. What You Will See: Evidence includes finding nesting materials on the ground, birds perched on the edge of the bee house, or a bird's nest on top of or near your nesting materials. Once these predators recognize the bee nest as a food source, they are relentless. Starlings, robins, swallows, tanagers, and woodpeckers can cause significant damage to adult bees, bee larvae, and nesting materials. Many species of birds will prey upon both adult and dormant bees.
Make sure to remove any vegetation that is touching the shelter - it acts as a bridge for these insects.Since spiders usually gain access to nests by crawling up shelter legs, coat the base of the shelter with a sticky product like Tanglefoot or a layer of Vaseline spread along the back of the surface where the bee house is mounted.If you see spiders lurking on your bee house or nesting materials, watch them for a while, and if you notice they're attacking your bees, feel free to kill or move them to an area far away from your bee house. Remove any spiderwebs from inside or around your bee house.However, if you notice spiders are constantly hanging out at the opening of your nesting materials, there are a few things you can do: Of course, in this case, the dinner guest is dinner - the nature of predator-prey relationships. There is little you can do to protect your adult bees from the spiders waiting on the flowers for a dinner guest to arrive. What You Can Do: Managing spiders is tricky. What You Will See: Spiders or spider webs inside or near your bee house. However, some jumping spiders and crab spiders are opportunistic and will attempt to feast on foraging adults if given a chance. The majority of spiders aren't interested in solitary bees or their nests and don't pose a threat. Make sure to remove any vegetation that is touching the shelter - it acts as a bridge for these insects. What You Can Do: Since these pests usually gain access to nests by crawling up shelter legs, coat the base of the shelter with a sticky product like Tanglefoot or a layer of Vaseline spread along the back of the surface where the bee house is mounted.įor a non-toxic solution that does not kill the ants, try AntCant, which creates a slippery barrier that ants and other crawling insects can't walk across. You will see earwigs crawling inside or around nesting materials. What You Will See: A line of ants walking to the nesting materials by using the bee house's mounting structure, like a fence post, wall, or tree, as a bridge. Once females seal their nests with mud or leaves, the damage is usually minimal. More common in the eastern US, earwigs will also scavenge on pollen provisions and leafy nest materials. Damage is usually restricted to newly laid, exposed bee eggs or loose cocoons in a hatchery. For more species-specific enemies, check out Parasites and Diseases of Mason Bees and Parasites and Diseases of Leafcutter Bees.Īnts and earwigs are an occasional nuisance to mason and leafcutter bees. This article highlights common all-season pests and predators attracted to spring mason bees, summer leafcutter bees, and wild native bees. Unfortunately, productive bee nests are loaded with pollen, nectar, and bee larvae, making them a smorgasbord of food resources for pests and predators! Installing bee houses and hotels are great ways to encourage nesting, protect pollinators, and educate communities about bees' vital role in food production and ecosystem services.
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