I'm located in the Beaverton, OR USA area. I just got started with the wonderful preoccupation of attracting Mason Bees.
I recently noticed a small wasp-like creature had set up shop in its own nesting tube which hadn't been used by a mason.
I assume it's not parasitic to the masons because it's not "squatting" in a mason tube.
Sorry no photos, but it's a bit smaller than a mason, very gentle, with pretty yellow and black bands, and it makes frequent foraging (hunting?) flights. I see what I think are about 6 small green-yellow eggs in a single compartment, based on flashlight inspection. It's unclear what it's using for plugs, as it might still be on its first compartment, assuming it makes compartments at all.
Any ideas? Is it a pollinator or otherwise beneficial? My best guess is it's the so-called mason (or potter) wasp.
Thanks,
Mitch
Hey I just went to this great pollinator workshop at the zoo, hosted by a group called the Xerces Society. I learned that we have tons of different cavity-nesting bees, of lots of different sizes - they're so diverse, you might even have a type of bee rather than a wasp, though of course I don't know. Anyway, they are a VERY awesome resource for info about our native insects and they would probably love to answer your question. Their web address is http://www.xerces.org, and their phone number is (503) 232-6639. They are really really nice. Good luck! (And if you find an answer, will you post it?)
Jorah
Thanks Jorah! Excellent resource, didn't know about them. Yes I'll post a reply when I get confirmation.
In the meantime, here's a link to a photo, not taken by me, but one that's very close or identical to what I have.
[url:24a75jzj]http://dereila.ca/dereilaimages/MasonWaspY.jpg[/url:24a75jzj]
Xerces is great. I had a bee infestation under my house, and I didn't want to exterminate the things. The only reason I wanted them gone was that we were working on the floor, and they kept coming up through the subfloor, disoriented and defensive, into the kitchen. While this is certainly not what Xerces is about, one of their guys (one of their scientists, I should say) came over, caught my bees, and found a better home for them.
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