Sunday, April 5, 2009
Mason Bee Update
It's been very windy here the past few days and nothing has really been done. I'm seeing more Mason Bees flying around. And happy to see they discovered the nectarine tree. For the most part they buzz around it zigzagging left and right over it. Most are not doing anything at all besides flying but occasionally I see one land on a flower and really work it. This is uncommon though and I haven't gotten a good picture yet.
The caterpillars have have spread to a few more flowers. They ball up around the flower as one great mass of fuzz. I though the wind would have blown them off but I was apparently wrong. Tiny silk webs have formed around the flowers they are on. I didn't realize so many of them would come out of one egg sack. There must be 400 or more. Because of this I've removed two of the clumps of caterpillars. I'll continue to do this as I feel is needed. I have every confidence that they could eat every flower on this tree. I will test them as a source of ant food later on.