What if I have to cancel my order?
You will have to contact us [email protected] We will assist you as best as possible.
Do you have a Refund Policy?
For issues, please contact us at [email protected] within 2 weeks of your delivery date and include the following information: 1) A description of the problem, and 2) photos of any damage or issues with the materials. We can then process a replacement order for you right away!
What if I’m allergic to bees?
What if my neighbors aren’t bee lovers, how far do leafcutter bees fly?
Leafcutters are talented low-flying bees who prefer garden beds, bushes, shrubs and short trees. They would much rather spend their day buzzing around a flower bed. As long as your garden bed is full of flowers to feed on and leaves to cut, they will stay close by.
We recommend placing your bee home within 300′ of your garden and mounting it 4′ or lower. This prevents these little bees from getting blown away in the wind. As well more time will be spent pollinating and less time flying.
Where did leafcutter bees originally come from?
Why are the bees coming from Canada?
What temperature are bees comfortable in?
Leafcutters are used by farmers to pollinate their fields in many states, such as Arizona, California, Nevada, Idaho, Utah, Colorado, Montana, Wyoming, Wisconsin, Washington, Oregon, Texas and many more.
What happens if it is cool and cloudy outside?
What's the difference between honey bees and leafcutter bees?
Honey bees live in a colony and are ruled by a queen bee; there are three types of bees in the hive: the queen, workers and drones. Honey Bees carry pollen on their hind legs called a pollen basket; while they are good pollinators, their natural talent is making honey.
Leafcutter bees are solitary bees known as super pollinators; they have a 1:20 pollination rate to honey bees! Their fuzzy bellies have a pollen brush that quickly disperses pollen over plants and flowers as they fly through the garden. Our friendly bees do not produce honey, they are strictly pollinators.
Leafcutters are only male and female, and do not have a stinger like honey bees. Our kind little bees are fast and agile fliers who visit more flowers and plants daily compared to honey bees. The female does all her own work, like caring for the home, offspring and gathering food.
Are leafcutter bees aggressive?
We call them Kind Bees for a reason! Leafcutter bees are gentle pollinators with a calm and peaceful disposition. If they land on you, don’t worry– she is probably just taking a break from work to say hi.
As long as you respect the bees, they will do the same for you! If you accidentally squish them, they will give you a warning bite, but that’s fair enough!
Did you know there has been no known anaphylactic reaction to leafcutter bees? Even if you are allergic to honeybees, you can hang out with your leafcutter friends without fear. We are not medical professionals, so it would be best to consult your doctor for further information.
How many bees are in the box? Approximately how many survive the hatching?
The orange bee boxes have 25g-30g of cocoons, which is approximately 200+ bees per box. We have fine-tuned our hatching and shipping process so that the cocoon boxes have a high survival rate and typically less than 5% mortality.
One-third of the cocoons are the female bees you see pollinating. The remaining bees are male, whose sole purpose is to mate with the females and do some pollination on the side. They’re here for a short time, but it’s a good time! The males have a lifespan of 10-14 days, and the females live an average of 60 days.
How many bees will survive until next winter?
No adult bees survive the end of the summer. The female leafcutters only have a lifespan of 60 days. What survives in the winter are the cocooned eggs nestled in the tubes! Once it is warm enough, the eggs will hatch in the spring or summer.
Visit our general FAQ for more information on hatching your second generation of bees next season.
Why are my bees not hatching?
Why don’t my bees fly at night?
The bees work when the sun shines! They are early risers. You will find them hard at work when the sun rises, and tucked inside their nesting tubes once the sun starts to set. Leafcutter bees work hard during the day, cutting and carrying leaves to prepare the nesting tubes for their babies.
They also will be stopping at your beautiful flowers to feed on nectar and carry pollen throughout your garden. Amidst all their hard work, the wonderful process of pollination is happening.
What should I do if there are parasites in the cocoons?
What if I have a problem with ants?
What if critters are knocking my home over or eating my cocoons?
You can buy a strawberry netting and wrap it around the bee home to keep out birds or small critters. Make sure the netting has large enough holes so the bees can have the freedom to come and go as they want.
What happens at the end of the warm season?
What should I do with my bee house for the winter?
What is a solitary bee?
Leafcutter bees are solitary, which means they do not subscribe to the honeybee’s communal hive lifestyle. Instead of having a queen, all female leafcutter bees are fertile, capable of laying eggs and living alone in their one-bedroom nesting tube. The female bees have a lifespan of 60 days, depending on how hard they work!
The male bees are not allowed in the Bee Loft; it’s girls only! (The male bees only have a lifespan of 10-14 days, so they don’t mind.)
Why do they cut leaves?
Leafcutter bees are the interior decorators of the bee society! The leaves are used as a protective cocoon (cell) to lay a fertilized egg. The hard-working Mama Bee deposits a store of pollen and nectar to nourish the developing larvae. She seals the nesting tube with several perfectly cut circular leaves to protect her babies.
What temperature are leafcutter bees comfortable in?
Leafcutter bees love hot weather and thrive in hot climates that reach 100°F (37°C) or hotter. They love the sun, and you will find them flying and pollinating during the day’s heat.
Leafcutter bees are very resilient and adapt to many temperatures. If the temperatures are cooler, have no fear as the bees will still work hard. The hot summer sun warms up these little bees, if it is sunny outside the bees will work. We live in Saskatchewan, Canada and many of our growing days are less than 25°C, but yet our bees are hard at work pollinating.
The sunnier the weather, the harder they work.
Farmers use leafcutter bees to pollinate their fields in many states, such as Arizona, California, Nevada, Idaho, Utah, Colorado, Montana, Wyoming, Wisconsin, Washington, Oregon, Texas and many more.
How long will my bees take to hatch?
The hatching process is the most critical part of leafcutter beekeeping; it takes a lot of patience and care. Be sure to check the forecast for consistent daytime and nighttime temperatures of 75°F (23°C) before choosing a shipping date for your bees.
Leafcutter bees typically take 23 days in a temperature-controlled environment to fully hatch. Male bees starting hatching at day 18, and females start to hatch around day 21.
We now send out the bees pre-hatched to day 16-18. This eliminates the stress of the hatching process for our customers. You will receive live bees who are ready to get to work.
Winter Beekeeping FAQ
What should I do with my bee house in the winter?
We recommend keeping the original packaging to safely store the house and full tubes until next spring. Generally, the best time to retire your Bee Home for the season is when temperatures dip close to freezing.
NOTE: If the temperatures fluctuate between day and night too drastically, the bees will not hatch properly. It is essential to realize there will be a measure of mortality (less than 5%) that will prevent all the bees in the tubes from hatching. We recommend ordering our replacement kit to ensure adequate pollination throughout your garden next season.
What do I do with my nesting tubes?
Leave them bee! You don’t have to take the cocoons out of the nesting tubes, because the mama bees have purposefully packed their nesting tubes. The second generation of bees will hatch themselves; typically, the males are at the front and hatch first, and the females in the back hatch last.
It is best to keep the tubes within the Bee House and store them in the shipping box in a dry and cool spot just above freezing. The eggs are dormant in the winter. Various storage places could be a shed, garage, cold room, or (as a last resort) the fridge. We caution against storing the cocoons in the fridge because they tend to have high humidity, which causes mould!
How do I prepare for the next season?
When the temperatures start warming to a steady 70°F (20°C) and your flowers begin to bloom again, it is time to think about your hatching procedure.
Start the hatch indoors, as the temperature will be more consistent inside than outside. The hatching is very critical in bee survival. If the temperature varies drastically, you will have a higher mortality rate. Hatching takes patience, as seeing any activity can take several weeks.
Remember that only 1/3 of the hatched bees will be female, so purchasing a replacement kit with another box of bees and nesting tubes is vital to ensure your garden has enough pollinators.
Visit our Bees FAQ for more information about the bees themselves.
How do I prepare for my bees?
The most important thing, above all else, is ensuring the flowers and plants in your garden have begun to bloom. The outside temperature must be a consistent 70°F (20°C) for optimal bee release. If the weather is inclement when they arrive, you can store them in a cool/dark place for a week or so.
Be sure you have picked and prepared a spot for the house to be mounted! That way you can release the bees near the bee home. Remember to release the bees as soon as possible, because they can die if left too long in the cocoon box.
Ordering, Cancellation & Refund Policy
Step-By-Step Ordering Process
Before choosing your ship date, ensure the temperatures are consistent at 75°F (20°C) and that your flowers and plants are already starting to bloom.
- Step 1: Order your bees! In the meantime, prepare the space where you will mount the house.
- Step 2: The bees are shipped and typically arrive within the week. We dispatch orders on Mondays so they arrive at your door by Friday. Be aware dates may change if you order on a long weekend.
- Step 3: Mount the bee home 4ft off the ground and open the cocoon box near the home (temperature permitting). The bees come pre-hatched to day 16-20, so you don’t have the stress of hatching the bees yourself.
- Step 4: Leave them bee, and enjoy their gentle company! They will be hard at work all summer long.
- Step 5: Once winter hits, pack the house and the tubes into the original shipping container and store the box in a cool, dry space. Do not remove the cocoons from the tubes!
Step 6: Plant your garden and wait for the blooms before ordering a supplemental box of bees and tubes. Bring out last year’s nesting tubes from storage and begin the hatching process in a temperature-controlled setting. The cycle begins anew!
Do you have a refund policy?
We want to help our customers get their yards buzzing as quickly as possible, so we have a replacement policy.
For issues, please get in touch with us at [email protected] within two weeks of your delivery date and include the following information: 1) a description of the problem and 2) photos of any damage or issues with the materials. We can then process a replacement order for you right away!
Can I return the product?
No, we do not accept returns. Refunds are issued according to agreed-upon issues with the product, and there may be a small fee kept as we incur credit card fees beyond our control.
We work hard to assist our customers through any roadblocks they may encounter. Often, with an email or two, we can troubleshoot your problems into a success story. If you have questions about refunds, please email us at [email protected].
What if I have to cancel my order?
Yes, orders can be cancelled. We understand that people’s circumstances change periodically, but we would appreciate an explanation as to the reason. A small fee may be kept as we incur credit card fees beyond our control.
To cancel your order, please contact us at [email protected] with your name, order number and reason for cancellation.
Where do you ship?
Kind Bee Farms ships our bees across Canada and the United States, except for Hawaii. US orders are sent through USPS with a flat fee of $15.00. Canadian orders are shipped through Canada Post with changing rates according to the destination.
All orders are sent on a Monday unless there is a holiday and the postal system is closed; in that case, all orders will be shipped on Tuesday. Our shipping typically takes 3-5 business days.
What if I am moving and my address changed?
That’s okay, circumstances change! As long as we have yet to ship out your order, we can manually change the shipping address to your new one.
To request a change of address, email [email protected] with your order number, name and email address. Please send in this request as soon as possible to avoid the order being sent to your previous address.