I've only been doing it for a couple of seasons, but I have all of my cocoons loose because I like to be able to clean the nesting trays and sort for parasites.
I figured I'd put the first batch out when I see the flower buds about to open on the trees I want them to polinate. I'll probably put them out in stages. At my place it seems premature. Most of my fruit trees either still appear dormant or are just beginning to see bud swell.
In another forum one of our fellow posters who lives in the Portland area and has been keeping Mason bees for a while pointed out that the Mason bees aren't active for the earliest blooming fruit trees, but has seen some sort of fly paying them some attention.
I wonder if the temperature threshold for activity is different than the one for emerging from the cacoon. Maybe you could get activity a little bit earlier by emerging them indoors and then releasing them (or maybe you'd just greatly increase their mortality rate).
My old Mason bee nest’s are simply attached to my grape arbors; so I suspect they’ll be waking up with the season -- which felt ‘nice and warm’ today.
Just to add an observation, I’ve got an outhouse, and it’s still in use (in fact it’s the oldest structure in our valley), anyway… on late night trips with a flashlight I’ve been amazed at the tremendous work being done by a flurry of small moths on the assortment of Asian plums first to bloom. And, during the day there’s a multitude of small ‘bee-like’ insects doing their thing on the same blossoms. Maybe it’s my proximity to the woods, or maybe nobody’s watching that close… but my suspicion is there’s a lot more pollination going on from these little guys than either Mason or Honey bees.
Unless you have acres of the same variety, in definite need of massive pollination – is there really that much a need for the home orchardists...? Or maybe this is ‘my excuse’ to continue neglecting my… 15 year old Mason bee blocks… of which I suspect few ‘tunnels’ are still viable 
My fruit set has been poor the last several years. I have only ever set 5 peaches on my trees. I have massive blooms but little fruit set. SO this year I am getting out my paintbrush. But then again I have a red gravenstein tree that has bloomed profusely for 3 years and never set an apple. I have many different varieties of apples so its not the need for a pollinator variety. My wife says if these trees don't produce she's gonna ......nevermind. Let's just say its not gonna be a good thing.
Greg,
you always leave me grinning… I think you may be onto your problem with the peaches -- with your ‘Christmas bulbs’ to protect against those nasty late frosts you’ve described. I’m not discounting ‘bees,’ but I’d stay with the paint brush…
Have you noticed if two other apple trees are in full bloom at the same time as your Gravenstein..? My Grav is the first apple tree(s) to bloom, though it still has ‘flower petals’ on it when the rest of the apples open up … it’s already done it’s thing – or not.
I’ve two extremely productive and reliable varieties grafted on the my main Gravenstein: Summer Red and Transparent. They always set (far too) heavy and apparently provide that old Grav with all, or ‘both’ the pollen it needs. Last years Gravenstein crop was tremendous, not to ‘brag’ – for a price was paid with hours of thinning. A biennial bearer, it will be interesting to see if I removed enough – soon enough - last year to curb that cycle.
Hey, you may have to move to Oregon 
I have a regular gravenstein that blooms the same time as the red gravenstein and it always has apples. We will see what happens. Next thing I need to do is hide all the saws from the wife. Oh, and I will watch and TAKE NOTES of blooms this year. I understand the triploid thing I think. The gravenstein pollinator needs its own pollinator so all 3 need to bloom at the same time. I added some early bloomers to the orchard this year. What are good gravenstein pollinators? Oh, I can look that up..... I found a lookup chart and I have no less than 8 apples trees listed as acceptible pollinators for the red gravenstein. It has to be a bloom timing issue or orchardist pruning issue. So watching and taking notes should find a solution. So here is a newbie question, the answers seems obvious but...
Is every bloom on the apple tree capable of becoming fruit? I mean if conditions are perfect and pollination occurs, if its a bloom its an apple, right?
Ok, let me ask this a different way. If I have pruned and totally screwed up the tree but yet it still has blooms with good weather and good pollination it will still bear fruit? Also, it is my understanding that this years new growth on apple trees will set fruit buds next year and bloom the next, so its the 3rd summer that fruiting begins.
I find the male Mason Bees emerge around April 1st. Any unusually warm weather in late March is also a good candidate. I generally put them out as soon as any warm weather is approaching in mid March or later. If it's still cold on March 15th, I just keep waiting and put the bees out at the first sign of warm sunshine. And if that hasn't happened by April 1st, out they go anyway just to be safe.
Greg:
“What are good gravenstein pollinators?†I’ve found ‘Summer Red’ (which I was amazed to find at one of our scion exchanges! – I’d never heard of it) and good-ol ‘Transparent’ to be excellent and reliable pollinators for my ‘regular old (striped) Gravenstein.’ I just grafted a couple limbs of them inside the same… ninty year old tree.
“Is every bloom on the apple tree capable of becoming fruit? I mean if conditions are perfect and pollination occurs, if its a bloom its an apple, right?â€
Yes, as far as I know! Some set like grape clusters – in fact – Summer Red (above) instantly came to mind. Wow – I’ve never seen an apple set so much, so consistent and so ‘close together!’ They’re like big clusters of conical apple-grapes! Part of the ‘problem’ is they’re so high in my Grav that I don’t always pull out the ladder or snake myself up there to thin them… but I believe every flower is viable, and that darned ol Gravenstein did its best to set every one last year.
“If I have pruned and totally screwed up the tree but yet it still has blooms with good weather and good pollination it will still bear fruit?â€
Yes, baring you didn’t girdle it 
" title="Laughing" /> As long as you’ve left some spurs.
“it is my understanding that this years new growth on apple trees will set fruit buds next year and bloom the next, so its the 3rd summer that fruiting begins.â€
Not if that new growth is heading straight up, like a ‘sucker.’ That’s where the ‘training,’ or stressing comes in. I’ve read/learned that you must stress a tree in order to scare it into production. Otherwise, it simply follows its programming and grows straight up to compete with the ‘surrounding forest.’ Once those new shoots or stems are slightly sideways they begin to form fruit spurs. Unless they’re ‘tip bearers,’ apparently capable of growing or fruiting, depending on their mood.
I’ve heard fruit spurs can take from 3 to 6 years to form… depending on the variety, or ‘cultivar.’ When pruning, I’ll generally leave several buds on any lateral ‘shoot.’ The lead bud will continue the vegetative growth while the trailing buds will generally develop into fruit spurs.
[quote="gkowen":39b93mr5]Ok so now I will get some SummerRed scionwood and add around. I need to practice more grafting anyways. Thanks for the information.[/quote:39b93mr5]
I hope it shows up at the Exchange… My wood's long gone, a midst’s the early prunings of that big Grav… As mentioned, I was amazed to find it at a prior exchange, maybe 18 years ago. It’s actually a good apple! Along with its co-pollinator, Transparent; it’s my first apple/s to ripen. Red, solid, some flavor, scab free, conical and ‘pretty,’ – and as mentioned – productive! Good luck 
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