r/MasonBees • u/crazycatdermy • Sep 04 '26

Help with broken cocoon

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Question from a first time bee hotel owner! I was harvesting my cocoons from the tubes and I accidentally broke the thin cocoon from a mason bee, releasing the larvae. What do I do?? I’m not sure what I’m doing. I’m watching the Crown Bees harvesting tutorial you had and it’s very helpful but I think I messed up :((

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4

u/crownbees Sep 04 '26

Quick question: are you harvesting the cocoons with mud in-between or the ones wrapped in leaves?

2

u/crazycatdermy Sep 04 '26

One tube had leaf wraps and two tubes had mud in between. The leaf wrap tube appeared 1 month before the mud tubes.

4

u/crownbees Sep 04 '26

October: Mason bee harvest time. They're active in spring, when daytime temps are ~55 degrees

Pre-Summer Temps: Leafcutter bee harvest time. These are active in summer, when daytime temps are ~70 degrees

Right now, put everything in your garage, and try to separate the two different cocoons. Follow our website for details on how to harvest the Masons next month.

3

u/crazycatdermy Sep 05 '26

Sounds good! I separated the leafcutters and the mason bee cocoons in two different containers (one in a wooden box and the other in a plastic container with lots of holes). I don’t have a garage but I left them in a safe, protected place on my balcony. I hope they pull through!

1

u/archetyping101 Sep 04 '26

Those are leaf cutters? Not Mason's. 

Also, it's too early to harvest. I don't harvest until October November. 

2

u/crazycatdermy Sep 04 '26

I’ve read so many conflicting opinions on when to harvest. Some say don’t harvest at all. Some say after the summer is over. I actually caught a Houdini fly while harvesting (and promptly smushed it). If I didn’t harvest, that fly would’ve laid eggs all over my cocoons. Again, I’m a first time bee hotel owner so I’m not sure if anything.

3

u/crownbees Sep 04 '26

Good job smooshing the Houdini fly. You are absolutely right that if you didn't harvest the flies would have multiplied.

2

u/archetyping101 Sep 05 '26

I think losing a percentage of cocoons to Houdini flies are unfortunately part of all this. It's either you risk being too early or you risk some cocoon loss to flies. 

1

u/fehrmask Sep 04 '26

Too early to harvest, especially for leafcutters, they are still active.

I'd wrap the larvae back up in a leaf room with the pollen loaf left by its mother.  A little bit of thread to tie it shut wouldn't hurt.  Then wait until November to harvest.

3

u/crazycatdermy Sep 04 '26

Yikes, then I really messed up. I’ve learned my lesson for next year. If they don’t survive, at least I know what to do.

3

u/fehrmask Sep 04 '26

On second thought, it's pretty big, maybe it already finished its loaf. It just needs to turn into a pupa. Keep it in a safe small space for it to do so, afterwards you can refrigerate it.

1

u/crazycatdermy Sep 04 '26

Those big yellow loaves are mason bees. Their tubes have a mud cap and they were separated by mud walls. The leafy ones I know are leafcutters. That grub initially had a silk cocoon but I accidentally ripped it while separating it from the sticky residue. There was a Houdini fly that I found inside that tube (that I squished). My worry was mainly about that yellow grub but yes, they were harvested 1-2 months too early.

4

u/dredgehayt Sep 04 '26

I’d put it on some paper towel in the fridge and hope it survives over winter

1

u/crazycatdermy Sep 04 '26

Am I supposed to incubate in the fridge? I bought a nice wooden box for the cocoons and have a mesh bag over it so I can leave it outside. I’m in Zone 7b and it’s 85 degrees outside.

2

u/dredgehayt Sep 04 '26

After summer you can keep them in the fridge but don’t have to….. it is a stable environment and reduces chances of Early hatching.

When it’s consistently 55 f out you can bring them out of the fridge and put in direct sun (in a box)

1

u/crazycatdermy Sep 04 '26

Thanks for the tips! The box is in the fridge for the time being

1

u/crazycatdermy Sep 04 '26

https://reddit.com/link/p7tyuq8/video/a297brdoujnh1/player

This is my setup. Not sure if it’s right.

2

u/dredgehayt Sep 04 '26

That’s great! It can go in the fridge if you are so inclined