Hi, I just discovered bee babies (leaf cutter) in a split piece of wood. I wonder if just taping it back together will work to save them [20240128_172954]

I don’t know, but it seems reasonable, and preferable to further disturbance. YOu could try it, monitor, and treat it like an experiment to see what results you get.

Some commercial bee nesting aids (“hotels”) are built in a modular fashion, consisting of sheets of compressed wood with grooves on one side, which are then stacked and strapped or clamped to together – so much like your piece of wood. Not all bees are good housekeepers who clean out old nests after…

You could leave it open as is, and take photos at regular intervals. Perhaps we will all see the babies develop : )

What is the width of the cavity? The “cellophane” texture of the cell lining (or pupal casing?) might indicate family Colletidae, e.g. something like Hylaeus. But they are quite small and the cavity seems larger (I may be misjudging the scale). Or it might possibly be some other cavity-nesting acul…

Yes I would think that leaving it open would increase risk of dehydration. It would also lead to more extreme temp swings. If it were me (not being an entomologist, but having done a fair amount of physiology work), I would close it up, and place it in an outside or unheated area that would get a f…

the holes are 5mm. I taped it up immediately. I used masking tape. My identification of leaf cutter is based on the bees of the area, the timing and the level of development at this time. Not foolproof. It looks to me like they have eaten nearly everything and are ready to change into adults. They…

Bee babies found

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Bee babies found

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