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Thanks for putting up this information Sabemou, it would be awful for people to think they were helping the bees only to be putting them at risk of infection. I suppose it is a little like cleaning out the bird feeders and tables as they too can pass on infection to the birds, and the more people are aware of this the better.
Lot to learn
Hi Sabemou,
The american species of bees are slightly different than the native UK ones - so the bee hotels made by American companies will not necessarily be used by British bees. An interesting article is here.
We got a number of insect hotels (ladybird, lacewing and bees) from Green Gardener. I quite like their products. Usually at the end of each season I clean all the hotels with their wormerie parasite powder, then warm soapy water, then let them dry and put them up again. Their solitary bee hotel is reusable and you can insert new cocoon chambers each year. Check it out, you may find it of interest.
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"Any glimpse into the life of an animal quickens our own and makes it so much the larger and better in every way." John Muir
Will this problem apply to the pre-made bee boxes that you can buy for solitary bees? In which case, at what time of year should they be cleaned out? I have three boxes with holes that this year have either been plugged with mud or just recently with leaves.