Building on Success

In the last five autumns, the number of mason bee cocoons I've harvested has steadily increased, and this year, I saw the biggest jump yet.

After starting out by purchasing 30 cocoons in the spring of 2021, I harvested 39 that fall. In 2022, the harvest increased to 66, and in 2023, I recorded 94. Then, things started to get very interesting. In 2024, my total surpassed 100 for the first time with 151 put into storage for the winter. Amazingly, 150 of those 151 produced mason bees in the spring of 2025. 

With such a success rate, I thought the 2025 harvest might yield some impressive results. I guessed that I might have a good chance at eclipsing 200. As it turned out, I was thinking small. After this year's harvest had been completed, I had 251, an increase of 100 cocoons from 2024.

I think harvesting and storing the cocoons each fall has led to the success. Instead of allowing pests to inhabit the cocoon trays, I remove them when I harvest the cocoons. Although I do get some pests every year, the amount remains manageable, and the mason bees are free to work with clean trays each spring. In addition to the pest elimination, harvesting cocoons allows me to store them in a refrigerator for the winter, helping protect them before the bees emerge the following spring.

We'll see what next year brings, but I am hopeful that the upward trend in harvested cocoons continues.