Previously we had placed leaf cutter bees in Gilbert (8 May 2020) and Payson (9 May 2020). The Gilbert leaf cutters started emerging at the end of the month and are still going. The Payson bees may have emerged; but we saw no activity at the habitat.
We decided to put a second batch of leaf cutter bee cocoons at the Master Garden in Flowing Springs, just north of Payson. The first time, there was a physical distance (5-10 feet) and no direct line of sight from the cocoons to the habitat. This time we will co-locate the cocoons and habitats in a shaded location.
Gene measured out one quart of the remaining two quarts from the gallon of bee cocoons we purchased from JWM Leafcutters, Inc.
This video shows our site survey and selected location.
We will continue to monitor the new Site3a9 in the Master Garden in Flowing Springs.
Note that when we closely inspected the habitat from the first Payson attempt (Site3a8) we saw some nests filled. We had retrieved the (empty) bee cocoons and the habitat and placed it outdoors at the Gilbert residential Site1a2. It remained there for a week to 10 days. We are not sure if the populated nest were from Payson activity or from the Gilbert site? A cursory visual inspection in collecting the habitat from Payson Site3a8 showed NO activity. We suspect that this activity is due to the leaf cutter bee activity at Gilbert.
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