I was more concerned about accumulation of pollen mites over time or Chalkbrood or other stuff that could potentially wipe out the whole local mason bee population. Then again, I might be overobsessing about pests after reading about them at Crown bees.

If I do set up a webcam, I’ll probably go for a setup where a motion detector makes sure the interesting bits are recorded. Depends on how expensive the setup will be :-/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/50763893@N05/6082523634/

The box is just knocked together with nails and (needs encouragement to stay intact); it has a bit of roofing felt on top. All comers are welcome and, as you can see, a number of spiders are in residence (but I doubt whether they will take on a bee). From the point of view of a webcam project then I would have thought the greater variety of activity the better. You might catch some parasitic wasps and flies preying on the bees and see if I’m correct about the spiders not. You may also see other insects taking refuge for the winter. Can you record the input from the webcam and can you set it up with some type of motion detector?

A box like that would be a much better candidate for a webcam setup, I guess, with the females doing their pollen runs and blocking the canes with mud. And light! :-D

Would you say the number of inhabited straws in the picture is a typical average? Or does it vary more? Do you do anything in particular to help the bees out against pests, or are they managing well on their own?

I’ve been thinking of building another bumble bee nest the coming spring, making it big enough for fitting a webcam this time. I have to do some more research, though, since bumblebees don’t want any light in their nests, ruling out regular cameras with regular lighting. An infrared camera might be in order, but I suspect they’re too expensive. Also, it would have to show a decent picture with only the infrared light naturally available in the nest. Bumblebees can see infrared (and ultraviolet) light, so I couldn’t use, say, infrared diodes to get better lighting conditions. It would probably confuse the heck out of them, since they use these light frequencies to find the most nectar-bearing flowers.

http://fourfeetandmore.blogspot.com/2010/05/osmia-bicolor-bee-that-nests-in-snail.html

Bees absolutely have to deal with both slugs and ants in natural nests, although a flower pot nest is perhaps a bit more vulnerable to ants with the drainage hole in the bottom of the pot and all. But you’re right, I’m trying to maximize the chances of the bumblebees moving in and thriving in my nest. Partly because I’d enjoy it a lot if they moved in, but also because they’re endangered in parts of the world, so a bit of help is due, I figure :-)

I hadn’t heard about bees nesting in snail shells before. Do you know which species of bees that do this, and what kind/size of snail shells they prefer?

Some species of bees nest in snails shells. Does anyone know of anyone successfully creating an articial site using snail shells?