The BeeCare Process
What it involves?
BeeCare is a unique package designed by BeeGAP to care for your bees throughout the autumn and winter to help ensure your bee success.
BeeGAP uses best practices to over-winter, control pests & parisites, monitor and track the wild solitary bees you're helping to raise.
Ensuring bee health and success
Why is BeeCare useful?
Through our professional BeeCare process you reduce the rate of lose of wild solitary bees from parasites. The BeeCare package has been carefully designed to compliment the BeeGAP "Wild BeeHome".
By sending in your nesting tunnels you can be assured that your bees are being professionally over-wintered, cared for, treated for parasites and guaranteed to return as a healthy population of leafcutter bees for the following season - pre-incubated to encourage emergence sooner.
What does BeeCare involve?
BeeCare involves a number of important processes to ensure bee health and success is achieved. Here's a few things that you can expect from you BeeCare package:
- Treatment for pests & parasites
- Professional over-wintering of your bees
- Replacement of nesting tubes (if applicable)
- Pre-incubated leafcutter bees to encourage emergence sooner
- Contribution to tracking bee diversity throughout New Zealand
- Tracking of your wild bee numbers & species identified each year
Monitoring & statistics
BeeCare includes wild bee monitoring and statistics specific to your individual BeeHome(s). During the BeeCare harvesting process, our team will identify, count and record the nesting success of wild bees in your bee house. This includes:
- Count of wild bee numbers found in your bee house
- Identification of bee species found in your bee house
- Statistical reporting specific to your bee house
- Yearly progress tracking of your wild bee success
- Contribution to New Zealand bee diversity statistics
- Access to interactive reporting and statistics on wild solitary bees
Returning Bees for BeeCare
Great new: this is included as part of your BeeGAP membership!
BeeGAP will send you a package containing replacement nesting tunnels in early May - once the leafcutter bee season has come to an end.
1. Carefully open the package we sent you. A return package will be included.
2. Remove the old nesting tunnels from your BeeHome and replace with the new nesting tunnels provided.
3. Place old nesting tunnels containing bees in to the return package and seal securely.
4. Finally, notify us when your bees are ready for collection. This can be done via the "BeeCare Management" page once you've logged in.
Please note: your BeeHome should only be returned to BeeGAP NZ between May - August. Any earlier than May your bees may still be active, and later than August bees cannot complete the over-wintering process.
BeeGAP membership - an exciting journey
Experience how the wild bees hatch, diligently collect pollen and create their offspring ready for the following year.
One
With a BeeGAP membership you will receive a starting population of leafcutter bee cocoons in the spring-summer. These bee cocoons are placed inside your bee house to incubate as the weather warms. Ensure your bee house is in a sunny location.
Two
The leafcutter bees will being to hatch throughout the summer. A few days after the males and females leave the nest, and the mating season begins. Leafcutter bees are completely harmless, gentle natured and safe around children & pets.
Three
After the mating season the females build their nests. They collect pollen and nectar for their offspring, provisioning it all within a small cocoon. During this time the bees pollinate wild plants, fruit trees & veges within a radius of up to 800 meters.
Four
Once a nesting tunnel is full, the female will close off the end of that tunnel using either clay, mud, plant fibres or leaf pieces - leaving inside her next generation of offspring. She repeats this process many times throughout the spring-summer.
Five
In May, BeeGAP opens up it's optional BeeCare programme to all members where the seasons nesting tunnels to be sent back to BeeGAP for the professional BeeCare process to begin. Further info on BeeCare here.
Six
Through spring-summer all active BeeGAP members will receive their new allocation of leafcutter bees ready for the next season. The cycle repeats - with you helping raise wild solitary bees & gaining pollination benefits in your garden.