Installing a Solitary Bee House can do more than just increase pollination!!

It can also encourage other Solitary Bees and Wasps that can be of great benefit to the home gardener...

There are two species of tube-nesting solitary wasps which may also be attracted to your Solitary Bee House. 

They are safe and interesting to observe!

One is the native small mason wasp Pison morosum, which makes cells of mud within which it stores spiders, and the other is the immigrant eumenid wasp Ancistrocerus gazella, this one may bring with it benefits, especially for gardeners! It also makes cells of mud, but which stores leafroller caterpillars. Mason Bee Wasp 6 Ancistrocerus gazella, using a Solitary Bee House available from creative woodcraft.co.nz Check out this Video of our Solitary Bee House in Use

An organic alternative to reduce leaf roller, numbers!

 DID YOU KNOW There are three common pest species of leaf roller in New Zealand. The brown headed leafroller, the light brown apple moth and the greenheaded leaf roller. They are major garden pests. Leafroller 1 Leaf roller caterpillars roll up leaves and stick them together for shelter, they then feed on the inner surface of the leaves eating through the leaves as they mature.

HOW TO CONTROL LEAF ROLLERS

Consider installing several Solitary Bee Houses  to encourage beneficial insects as a biological control measure for reducing leafroller caterpillars...