Why not to use bamboo for mason bees

Dave, from Crown Bees, tells us why we shouldn't use bamboo for nesting mason or leafcutter bees. (Hint; you can't harvest cocoons from them and you will typically lose your bees in future years to pest build up.)

[@RonStrilaeff]

So what are the natural homes for solitary bees? In the wild do they look for thin walled horizontal tunnels that break down in a year or less? I don’t want to harvest bee cocoons, just encourage them to come. Are those mite and fungus problems amplified by their multi-year use of the thick walled bamboo?

[@MightyMicrobes-]

Interesting

[@nunyabiznis817]

I'm really confused. Why do these mason bees need human intervention to survive? Why do we need to provide nesting places for them then harvest their cocoons so they have a better chance at surviving and thriving? What has gone wrong in the world that they can no longer survive and thrive on their own?

[@AmazingGrace945]

Oh good grief! Why do people have to make a big deal out of nothing. It is just a way to help pollinate what plants we have around us and it’s a fun thing to do. I have a bee house and I enjoy watching the bees come and go, also I have a small garden in the summer and if the bees are close by they can pollinate my own plants and my neighbors. Kids enjoy them as well and it’s a learning experience for them.