Mason Bees
Mason Bees
Our enthusiastic interest in pollinators began in the spring of 2013 when we noticed an unusual looking ‘fly’ crawling in and out of bamboo stakes that had been stored in the rafters of an open-ended shed. At first we didn’t think anything of it, but as the ends of each bamboo stake became plugged with mud we became more than casual observers. After more deliberate observation and research on the internet we realized these very active, mud-packing flies were not flies at all—they were Mason Bees!
Like so many other things that are ‘new’, our curiosity led us to provide additional nesting tubes and nesting locations on our farm as well as early-season pollinator plantings for the Mason Bees. We have made a practice of brining our full nesting tubes inside each fall for storage and sorting. Nesting tubes (paper, bamboo and teasel) and nesting blocks make this process easy and efficient and have allowed us to encourage bees on all areas of our farm.
mason bee emerging from a cocoon
Mason bees use small spaces, cracks, crevices as well as naturally occurring tubes found in hollow stems or holes in wood. Paper tubes are a great alternative to naturally occurring spaces as they are the exact size that is ideal for mason bees looking to build a nest. Our 4-ply tubes are durable as well as easy to tear open to remove cocoons.
Mason bees use small spaces, cracks, crevices as well as naturally occurring tubes found in hollow stems or holes in wood. Paper tubes are a great alternative to naturally occurring spaces as they are the exact size that is ideal for mason bees looking to build a nest. Our 4-ply tubes are durable as well as easy to tear open to remove cocoons.
Mason bees use small spaces, cracks, crevices as well as naturally occurring tubes found in hollow stems or holes in wood. Paper tubes are a great alternative to naturally occurring spaces as they are the exact size that is ideal for mason bees looking to build a nest. Our 4-ply tubes are durable as well as easy to tear open to remove cocoons.
Mason bees use mud/clay when packing in tubes to build their cocoons and will not nest without a nearby clayey mud source. If your soil not sticking together when squeezed, it is not a good clay source. Adding a clay mix can ensure there is an ideal source of mortar material for your mason bees! You can dig out a hole near your nesting site and add this mix for bees to use when nesting. Approximately weight ½ lb.