[Aidy]

Has got nothing what so ever to do with this thread 

So I am in the planning stage of my grand planter, I have decided this year to put around the plot several pollinating friendly planters.
I have decided one will be the bees knees  The concept is the main part will be a planting bed with pollinating fiendly flowers and several insect hotels.
I cam across a blog with some very good info, how many of you have these insect houses and take them in during the winter?
It appears to be a very important part of the these little insect houses to protect the larvae etc, where do you store them if you do?
(Goosey, shaking the keyboard had no effect  )

[Goosegirl]

Aidy, obviously it didn't because I don't think you want "fiendly" plants unless you like couch grass, nettles, cleavers, convolvulus and the like! 
I don't have an actual insect house, but there's plenty of places for them outside which is where I prefer them to be rather than inside the home.

[Aidy]

Dear Goosy.
I thought it best to dump the keyboard and use my phone   

When I say take in, I meant indoors as in a shed or somewhere out the elements, I have enough dodgy animals as it is (kids  ) I have an idea on what and how make the hotels it was more once they book in.

[Goosegirl]

My dear Aidy. Insects will always find a home that's rent-free as long as there is a sufficient supply of food of whatever sort you may give or inadvertently supply. Just a word of advice, the ones you need to avoid are carpet moths which have recently taken up residence in our home. You don't realise you've got them until you move a piece of furniture and wonder why there's a bald patch of carpet underneath where the legs were. You don't want to even go into a greenhouse if you've folded up a length of weed membrane for later use unless you like spiders. My OH was looking into a plastic box behind his chair for something and I've never seen the like! It was easily 6" long with wicked black legs and had a fat body of a red and brown colouring. Haven't a clue what it was but hope I never see one again! 

[Aidy]

 
We dont have carpets (kids) all propper wood floors, easier to clean.
The idea is mainly for solitary bees, maybe lady birds etc.

[RubyRed]

  Hi Andy. We have put most of our tubes in the garage from October onwards because of then getting wet and being destroyed. Saying that, last year we had several solitary bees that didn't manage to eat there way out or they started to come out and got wedged in the rock hard clay opening. Then they died. What we are doing this year is wait till september/October then gently unwind the cardboard tubes and empty out the now hard pupae  into a Tupperware container. Keep this in the garage till March or April when the weather gets warmer then put the container somewhere protected in the sun. Nature on the whole is wonderful but the design of a solitary bee tube leaves a lot to be desired. Each tube can contain up to 6 eggs. Each separated by some pollen for food and a mud door. If the one at the front dies then they all die. Terribly sad. Good luck. The most we had hatching were over 400

[snowdrops]

Interesting thread Andy, I’d not heard about taking them in, I just thought if you had positioned them in a sheltered spot they would be ok. Will have to check mine couple. What Ruby does sounds ideal, but what do they do for the food source if you take it away, or do you put that in your tub?

[DanielCoffey]

When the adult mason bees are using the tubes they seal the end with mud, add a load of pollen, lay one egg in that cell and cap it off with mud. They then move up the tube and repeat till it is full.

The egg hatches, eats the pollen and pupates into a dormant chrysalis.

After September when all the adults are dead, the tube is full of one chrysalis in each cell (barring ones that died or got parasites in them). That is the point when you take the tubes in to an unheated garage or shed for the winter. They do not need feeding as they are dormant. They go outside again in late March.

Some folks soak and unroll the tubes in September and collect the intact pupae for drying and storage in the shed. This screens out the dead ones and those that are infested with parasites. It also prevents one dead one at the end of a tube blocking the rest. It is supposed to increase the survival rate.

[RubyRed]

When the adult mason bees are using the tubes they seal the end with mud, add a load of pollen, lay one egg in that cell and cap it off with mud. They then move up the tube and repeat till it is full.

The egg hatches, eats the pollen and pupates into a dormant chrysalis.

After September when all the adults are dead, the tube is full of one chrysalis in each cell (barring ones that died or got parasites in them). That is the point when you take the tubes in to an unheated garage or shed for the winter. They do not need feeding as they are dormant. They go outside again in late March.

Some folks soak and unroll the tubes in September and collect the intact pupae for drying and storage in the shed. This screens out the dead ones and those that are infested with parasites. It also prevents one dead one at the end of a tube blocking the rest. It is supposed to increase the survival rate.

      Sorry , what I said but not as eloquently!

[Aidy]

been doing lots of digging around on this and found some interesting info regarding the parasite and other issues common with shop bought hotels.
One chap sells (expensive) hotels, rather than tubes he cuts groves into wood block then uses a clear perspex to which is screwed to it, this creates a window to see the lavae etc and also means you can re home them in to tubs ready for the hatch, the other good point is they are easy to clean. Looks like I have a summer job

[RubyRed]

  It will be really worth it in the end as even the smallest help you give wildlife will be seized on and used. Then when you see positive results like, even a couple of tubes hatching or leaf parts used to block the entrance, or a bird feeder full of wool being used you can feel really proud that you've made a difference. Small steps. Good luck aidy.