Be Free, Little Bees!

It’s that crazy time of year in Portland where it can be 25F at night and 60F and sunny in the daytime. When I start to see action like this:

I figure it’s getting to be time to set some bees loose.

So, I needed a release box for the cocoons that I’ve been saving this winter.

You’ll see the little buggers in the picture on the right.

The basic idea is to make a little box that has a 5/16″ hole in the front (they seem to like that size, so why not?).  Since a flicker would probably think that I set out a box of snacks otherwise, I also installed a little block in the middle to protect the cocoons while they hatch.  Ideally, they should chew their way out of their cocoons and head for the light from the hole.

I’ll keep an eye on blossoms and weather and set them out a few at a time over the next month or so.

Seedlings are coming along in the greenhouse:

Every year, this weather causes me distress.  The fruit trees blossom, and the weatherman promises a good, hard freeze.  We get a couple really nice days and then a good, hard hail.

This is also when we often take a vacation, and I get to fret about the chickens and seedlings while I’m gone.

Note to self: Vacation in winter when there’s nothing but mud in the yard.