Wake-up Call

     You all remember the loose leafcutter bee cell I showed you on Monday, right? Well it's time for all the leafcutter bees to start waking up. Since we're on the subject of loose cells, we'll start with them.

     Leafcutter bees cut leaves to build cells that they lay their eggs in. On the farms here in Owyhee County and beyond, they are used to pollinate alfalfa. The bees build their cells inside of holes. They'll build them anywhere, but farmers put out tempting boards that they seem to prefer. Once the eggs are laid and the cells sealed off they can be poked out of the boards. In the spring, they end up here. This tray has a screen on the bottom so that any small junk can fall out and the air flows freely around the cells.

     These trays were put inside a climate controlled container (alliteration!) to be kept nice and warm so that they can finish pupating. They only have to chew their way out, and once they do, they'll be put out into the fields. In this region, for the most part, leafcutter bees cannot sustain their numbers at a level that farmers need them to be. While you can purchase loose cells, these are bees that are descended from last years purchase. This years purchase you can see in the back of the picture.

     These came in February from way up north in Saskatchewan, but of course you remembered that didn't you. Up in the northern plains of Canada the bees are able to thrive in greater numbers. Farmers purchase them from there and other places and import them. This room will be kept at about 80°F (26.7°C) until the bees start hatching, at which point they'll be moved.
     Only about half of the loose cells went into the heated room. The other half went into a different tray.

     Originally these wooden boxes held the foam bee boards like you saw in the picture up there. Now they have the remaining loose cells in them. These bees will be in a trailer that is unheated. They won't develop as fast or as predictably as the bees in the heated room, but they'll be just fine.
     Leafcutter bees are a very important part of the alfalfa business, so a lot of time and effort is put into them here. The days of summer are rapidly approaching, and the farmers work hard now, so that the bees can work hard then.