Print Profile(1)
Description
A modular nesting tray system for mason bees, designed to make seasonal cocoon harvesting fast, clean and repeatable.
I designed this modular tray system for my own mason bees after several seasons of working with reed tubes. Splitting reed by hand works, but it is slow, repetitive and honestly becomes the part of the season you start to dread.
This design replaces disposable/reed nesting tubes with repeatable grooved trays. The trays are stacked and tightened with two M6 threaded rods. After the season you simply loosen the nuts, separate the trays and access the cocoons without cutting or breaking tubes one by one.
Why this design
- Modular stack – print as many trays as you need.
- Easy seasonal opening – no tedious reed splitting.
- Two M6 threaded rods keep the stack aligned.
- Flat, repeatable trays are simple to inspect and clean.
- Designed for PETG and outdoor bee-house use.
Hardware required
- 2 × M6 threaded rods – length depends on the number of trays you use.
- 4 × M6 nuts or wing nuts.
- 4 × M6 washers.
Printing notes
The included 3MF profile was prepared for Bambu Lab X1 Carbon with a 0.4 mm nozzle and PETG. The single tray is 220 × 180 × 6.5 mm. The project uses no supports. PETG is recommended over PLA for better outdoor resistance. If the M6 holes are tight on your printer, clean them lightly with a 6 mm drill bit.
Seasonal use
Place the assembled stack inside a protected bee house, shielded from direct rain. At the end of the season, remove the rods/nuts and separate the trays to collect cocoons. Clean and dry the trays before reassembly.
Documentation (1)
License
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