I was cleaning my mason bee cocoons (I know, it's the wrong time of year to do this) and I found some strange cocoons among the bees (see photo below). On the left are bee cocoons, on the right are the odd ones. They are dark brown, cylindrical, and have a tan tip on one end. The are made of a papery material, rather than silk. Any ideas what they are?
Thanks for any help!
Sorry, I can see it fine in my view. Guess I don't know how to post photos. Can you see it below? If not, try https://photos.app.goo.gl/aLPn.....yksKjyJxo6
Yes, that worked.
Looks like they might be cocoons of beneficial wasps that parasitize spiders:
H
jafar said
Yes, that worked.Looks like they might be cocoons of beneficial wasps that parasitize spiders:
https://crownbees.com/whats-th.....materials/
Hmm, thanks, Jafar, that's a good resource. Mine don't look quite like the Trypoxylon referenced there, but similar - maybe a slightly different species. It does allay my fears a little. I've sorted them out from the bee cocoons; maybe I'll go ahead and let them hatch.
I attended a Pierce County Washington Master Gardener talk yesterday about mason bees. The presenter said that Houdini flies are starting to become a problem in backyard mason bee colonies. The tiny fly sits on the bee block and goes into the tube after a bee leaves and deposits her eggs.
I recently read about the Houdini fly. Poor Mason Bees. Is it possible to stop the flies from entering the tubes, as unlikely as that sounds?
TreeBeard, you mentioned the cocoons being made of a papery material. Could that material actually be dried leaf bits? Those squared off cocoons remind me of leaf cutter bee cocoons. https://crownbees.com/before-y.....tter-bees/