Summer is on its way, which means it is almost time to hatch your leafcutter bee cocoons from the 2025 growing season! If this is your first time hatching leaf cutter bee cocoons, you may be unsure where to begin.
Our team at Kind Bee Farms has put together an easy step-by-step guide for you to follow to make sure your bees do not get too rough of an awakening. Keep reading to learn how to properly hatch your leafcutter bees!
Step One: Wait for the Right Weather Conditions
Remember: leafcutter bees love the heat! They are not a spring bee, and are at their happiest and most active during peak summer temperatures. Wait to start the hatch until weather conditions are steady at 20°C (75°F) and your plants have already started blooming.
If you have the itch to get things going, you can get a jump on tasks like choosing where you plan to mount the Bee House, what you will use for the mount, and which stickers and paint you’ll use to decorate the Bee House (we have some fun ideas in our Blog)!
Step Two: Start the Hatching Process Inside
While leafcutter bees thrive in the heat, they are a bit sensitive to temperature fluctuations during the hatching process, which is why it is important to start the hatch indoors! Too much temperature fluctuation can harm your kind bees and cause some to die off.
Inside, you can control the temperature and provide a secure, safe environment for your bees to slowly emerge from their cocoons. Ideally, your indoor temperature should be on par with the ideal outdoor temperature listed above.
If you do not want to keep the main part of your house that warm, start the hatch in a separate area of your home, such as a heated garage.
Step Three: Order Replacement Bees and Nesting Tubes
It is very important to supplement your leaf cutter bee cocoons with another box of bees and nesting tubes! Ordering extra bees will ensure you have enough females for laying new cocoons and to maintain an adequate number of pollinators in your garden throughout the summer.
It is also important to include a new set of nesting tubes. While your old set will eventually empty from all the hatching, reusing nesting tubes can cause the new cocoons to get mouldy and diseased. You can find both of these essentials in our Replacement Bee House Kit in our Online Shop!
Step Four: Place the Nesting Tubes Outside
Once it is finally warm enough, it is time to place the old nesting tubes outside so your bees can get to work in your garden!
Remove the old nesting tube box from the Bee House, set it close by, and add the new box of nesting tubes inside. Once your bees hatch, they will have an easy time finding their new resting places!
Step Five: Mount the Bee House with New Nesting Tubes
It is time to mount the Bee House! If you have decided to place your Bee House in a different spot in your garden than last year, remember:
- Mount the Bee House at least 4ft above the ground, and within 300ft of your plants and flowers
- Use a stable mounting apparatus to prevent the Bee House from falling during wind and rainstorms (you can find some creative, sturdy ideas on our Blog!).
- Ideally, place the Bee House eastward so that your leafcutter bees get plenty of sunlight!
Step Six: Release the New Bees
Once your new box of bees arrives and they are buzzing out of their cocoons, they can join your other bees in the garden!
Just like last year, open the box of bees beside the bee house, and place the empty box on the Bee House Loft. Pretty soon, all your kind bees will be superpollinating the days away!
Step Seven: Wait for the Cocoons to Cozy Up!
Over the following weeks, your new set of nesting tubes will slowly fill up with new, cozy cocoons. It can take 3+ weeks for the nests to fill up, so be patient and enjoy watching your kind bees hard at work!
Create a Buzz in Your Garden with Kind Bee Farms
Hatching last year’s leafcutter bee cocoons is always exciting, and when you follow the correct steps, easy as a wink! Make sure to order all your replacement items from Kind Bee’s Online Shop, and check out our Blog to learn more about keeping leafcutter bees.
Want to chat with us in person? Keep an eye out for our stand at the Regina Farmer’s Market this spring and summer. You can find updates on our social media for which days and weeks our stand will be open. We hope to see you there!