The Biosphere Blog

What a lovely gift to the garden residents!  I’m not surprised it was snapped up, we see insects scouting for opportunities like this all the time on our verandah.  I made half a doz 4 years ago, they’re such a fantastic inclusion, we see predatory wasps returning with stunned caterpillars and larvae all day long!  It’s truly incredible how many insects benefit from these!  Nice work & good luck identifying!

Bee-lieve me Sandra, hotel-ya that was bee-loomin’ awful!

But thank you! I’ll be watching the hotel itself for further developments - would so love to catch one of those cuties in the act - fingers crossed for updates!

Kristi

Hi Kristi,

Very exciting news regards the recent occupancy of your Bee Hotel! You must bee alated! I will watch this space for further developments :-)

Sandra.

Thanks! It’s always a compromise between writing something ten times longer explaining every technical detail, or keeping it brief with links for people to follow if interested.

An absolutely fascinating and excellently presented article; it has to be read more than once though to get around the long words!

Oh wow, that is absolutely incredible, thanks for sharing! I too was jamming multiples into pots, mainly as a space-saver, which is why the two survivors aren’t in the middle - the others around them had long given up the ghost.

What length cuttings did he use would you say please?

That’s not a bad idea at all, thanks! I’d certainly like to do a deep dive into the physiology going on at that level.

Amazing that’s so exciting! Well done.

I met a guy from Gumtree about 10 years ago & visited his place, he is retired & just sells plants, mainly jujube cuttings which he strikes by put tones of jujube cuttings bare into soil.

He said he sticks them in over autumn/winter without amendents/treating, I seen single pots with approx 20 cuttings.

He might of been somewhere past Penrith/Kingswood.

Maybe one to refer to the Royal Botanic Gardens for further comment?

Good morning Jim and thank you for your input! Yep, what you say makes a lot of sense too. I’m probably overthinking this on account of that perfectly square growth and how it just seems one with the post.

Would so love to know the history of that post. And the tree for that matter. f anyone more cluey on gums than me could hazard a guess as to the tree’s age and species please do let us know!

Good morning Kristi, an interesting find with your Narrandera Tree. I would say it’s nothing more than the pearl in an oyster syndrome. The post is possibly decades older than the tree and as its roots developed it found an irritation and grew around it, like a gall or callous. I’ve seen the same with rocks and tree roots but not exposed above ground level though. Your theory is pretty good too.

Cheerio Jim 

Hi Sandra, that particular one is not far from the Discovery Centre off the Madoline St carpark entrance if of interest? I’ve seen a smaller one somewhere around the grass trees and bushfood section too. There are probably others around all of the native Australian areas as it was their thing for a while!

For sure give it a go! The holes for leafcutter bees need to be 4-9 mm diameter and about 150 mm deep, so you may need to align the holes of two bricks depthwise and support these somehow?

But other species in need of a home will surely seek single bricks out! So long as the holes are sealed at the back or butted against something.

The hotel in the picture above is packed with all kinds of things of all hole sizes including pipes, so it attracts all kinds of arthropods.

I’m as new to this as you, but I’d suggest hanging/placing yours not too far from their favourite leaf sources. I know they like jujubes and roses! Any plant where you’ve seen those distinctive round cuts.

Signs of cut leaves means they are already visiting, so it’s just a waiting game for them to do the rest!

Other tips are to position it in a sunny or semi-shaded spot with some shelter from rain and wind (like under the eaves of a roof or a window)
and between 1-2 metres above the ground.

Impressive maybe, but I have the elite penthouse suite here ;)

Wonderful colours and presentation!
Looking at your bee-house creation it’s just struck me that the bricks with the different-sized mortar holes would be ideal on their own for a bee-house colony in the garden. 
I have quite a few lying around and will give it a go.
What do you use, if anything, to entice the bees to visit and set up home?
Should I put the brick/s in a tree?

Wow! that’s an impressive one, the leafcutter bees of the Illawarra are very well catered for!

Hello Sandra, how cool you popped in, wasn’t expecting that at all!

I have every confidence it is the best five-star accommodation on the block - the one in the Botanic Garden has nothing on yours ;)

Thank you again for your masterpiece, and a wonderful Christmas and New year to all of you too!

Hi Kristi,

Thanks for taking the great pics! It was a pleasure creating this little Bee Hotel for you and your Leafcutter Bees! I hope they find it a comfortable home :-)

Best wishes to you and your family for Christmas 2024!

Sandra.

Wow in return angiel! Thank you so much, and what a great start to the day you have given me!

What is your field of study or topics of interest if I may ask please?

Best regards,

Kristi

WOW!!! Your explanation is the BEST I have EVER seen!

I thank you so much! Please, continue educating students of science. We need great teachers (especially, in science!!!)  :)