Cocoons are loose and arrive in a small cardboard box with 9 female and 16 male bees and are ready to be placed in an Orchard Mason Bee shelter Spring 2024, when temperatures reach 49 - 55 degrees fahrenheit. The cocoons should be stored at temperatures approximately 38°F 42°F until they are placed outdoors. These are loose cocoons, not in tubes. They have been cleaned, inspected, sorted and have a fully formed Orchard Mason Bee inside. If you will be storing your cocoons in a refrigerator, you may want to consider purchasing the Bee Safe Humidity Box to help maintain proper humidity for the cocoons until they are placed outside. Cocoons are sent between November and April due to the OMB life cycle. As tempetures increas in late winter and early spring OMB may emerge during shippment. Please, oder early as we can not controle shipping or tempetures