Veseys

Thank you for contacting Veseys. Mason Bees are naturally attracted to the tubular design of the Mason Bee House. They will not mind if some of the tubes are a little short and do not go all the way to the back. They will adapt the tube for their needs.
The Mason Bee House can be rinsed thoroughly and allowed to dry before you set it out. Eventually bees will find their way to the house and start laying their eggs.
Do not disturb or remove the unhatched bees! You can remove the whole house (intact) and keep it in a cold dry place during the winter, to protect it from winter wet, replacing it in March. An unheated shed, porch, or carport will do. This is very important – winter wet, not cold, is the enemy! Do not store in a warm place – the dormant bees need to be cold and dry during the winter.
Persistent wind-blown rain can dissolve the mud walls of the cells, causing tubes to rot and the young bees to succumb to fungal diseases. As autumn and winter can be very rainy, you must ensure your bee tubes are protected from excessive wet. If your bee house has a good overhanging roof and is rainproof you can leave it in place. Otherwise it must be moved somewhere cold and dry during the autumn and winter. From April onwards, young bees that have over-wintered in a dormant state inside the tunnels will emerge, and start the cycle over again.
The houses should be cleaned out yearly after the young bees emerge. Most people will rotate bee houses - replacing used ones with clean houses, so that the used houses can be cleaned and stored away for the next rotation.
Mix a solution of six parts water to one part bleach in a one-quart container to fill it about halfway. This should be adequate to fill one Mason Bee House.
Pour the bleach solution into each tube and use an old toothbrush or bottle scrubber to scrub debris from inside it.
Dump the remaining solution from the entire nesting block.
Spray the inside of each tube with a fine stream of water from a garden hose or pressure washer. This will wash out any remaining debris and bleach.