After reading up on mason bees I thought they might use teasel stems, so I made a couple of bundles and placed them under the eave of our tree house in the fall. In April they started using them:

http://outdoors.webshots.com/s.....4975jXnIlf

I live in Camas, WA, on a fairly large lot with several apple trees and a fair amount of native wild space.

As of last week they had filled almost every tube.

I did not "import" any bees, I just put up the tubes.

I found it best to cut the teasel when it was still just a bit green. When it is really dead the bigger tubes tend to crack when you cut them. You cut them just below each joint, which gives you a tube that is closed on the end.

I am sure bamboo would work as well (and probably last longer than teasel). But I do not plan to re-use the teasel, I have plenty of it growing in my yard. Plus it is a non-native invasive so it is good to reduce it.

I plan to just leave the tubes where they are, until the bees have emerged, then toss the stems on the compost pile. I am new to this so any advice would be appreciated.

Dave

1. If I make these up w/o bees present, am I likely to attract the wrong bugs like wasps? Those suckers hurt!

Only an occasional wasp will take up residence in a mason bee tube. I don't know what they're all about or their life cycle or what exactly they're doing in there, but it's pretty rare. If you want to trap mason bees, do it from April 1st to June 1st.

2. Can I reliably be assured of getting some at next HOS event? (This request could be defacto unfairness perhaps)

I would think it's a first-come first-serve situation. No guarantees.

3. I would rather make sure I get truly OREGON NATIVE ones instead of hybridized or acclimated ones. Same same with only native Oregon Tree Frogs (another subj).

Mason bees are native to this region. I know of no hybridization or translocation projects. There are Hornfaced Bees in Beaverton I know for a fact when I lived there. They were intentinally and needlessly (IMO) introduced into this area despite the Mason Bees presence in the western US. In my first year raising mason bees, these hornfaced bees mixed in with my mason bees, but I carefully weeded them out.

4. If I make up a LOT of these dorm rooms - is there an effective way to stop them from filling it up totally and instead, filling another? Maybe a well vented wire cage or something... (this may relate to #6 below)

I don't know what you mean here. But the bees will choose holes at their own discretion and each bee will work a single hole exclusively until filled.

5. Are they all gonna be waiting for spring to emerge or will there be generations between now and then?

By now, or very soon, all Mason Bees in the PNW are either dead (last year's) or hatching/growing/pupating inside their various tubular homes. They will not come out to reproduce until next April. They are active and flying about only in April and May, and maybe a few days into June.

6. Drilled holes vs PVC pipe pieces... is it cuz of sanitation? I would think that a portable steamer would do the trick when needed.

Drilled holes work, but are problematic due to wood fibers left behind. It is difficult to drill holes cleanly. Even if they look good, when exposed to weather, burs and fibers pop up and make holes unattractive to bees. PVC pipe pieces are used as a waterproof containers for various sorts of mason bee tubes.

7. Is there an HOS member with smaller quantity interested in trading for a few for some of my stuff? I will be posting quite a bit more soon btw.

I do have some available if you're willing to travel to Canby, I don't need any remittance. I have a huge surplus every year, and this year I cut my season short so I wouldn't have so many extras to dispose of. The HOS gives me cardboard tubes and I give them back filled with bees, but I have some other paper tubes that I can let go of. Use the email link on this post if you're interested, Rickitikkitavi.