Derald wrote:
songbird wrote:

David Hare-Scott wrote:
...
I am lucky, no hive required. I have more than you can shake a
stick at.

plus there are ways of setting up things
to encourage other species of bees too other
than just the honey bee. no hives needed
for many of them. we have a species of bee
that likes to use the electrical plug outlets
in the garage as nesting sites. the holes
in the shop vac that are countersunk down a
bit had some action last year too as when
we used it the other day several of those
holes were packed with mud.

Same here. Power taps, extension cords, tool handles, locks etc.
even the tubular wind chime are nesting sites for something. It seems
to me easier to conserve a healthy local population of native bees and
wasps than attend to a flock of poorly adapted alien species that is
of questionable benefit to backyard gardens.

My aliens are very well adapted. They work hard all year round in large
numbers fertilising a very large proportion of my flowering plants. During
clover season the pasture hums - quite literally. I never have to hand
pollinate anything.

Simply provide them
holes in which to nest, eschew pesticides, minimize tilling and
mulches; a little something to eat doesn't hurt, too. Enthusiasts
size the "nest" holes according to the species desired-primarily to
exclude "robber" bees-and even line them with paper tubes but I'm
(subjectively) nowhere near that obsessive. Right now, pollenation
is not an issue in the garden but I'd like for future generations of
Mother's little helpers to emerge in or near the garden.
Despite the occasional chilly night, we're definitely into
seasonal, warmer weather down here. Except for the coldest days, we
have insect activity year-round but bee and wasp emergence really
picks up in late February, when the peas are in bloom. But now, the
only flowers in the garden are a few onions and numerous brassica,
with more of those to come along, if I can leave them in place for a
while longer. As you know, wildflowers are as close to the garden as
is
practical, even in the aisles, and certain deep-rooted "weeds" remain
in the beds for as long as practical.

Bloody mud wasps! We have the black and yellow sort the size of a small
bird. They will build mud nests in any opening that they can get to. If any
appliance (pump, trimmer, mower) has an exhaust pipe between one and two
fingers wide you had better check it before starting. Even if they don't
fill the hole completely a blockage produces weird performance issues, you
squeeze the accelerator and it goes slower.

D