Mason Bees

  • Can I raise mason or leafcutter bees in my greenhouse?

    You can raise solitary hole-nesting bees inside of your greenhouse or high-tunnel and here are our tips to ensure they have what they need to pollinate your crops. What bees need in your greenhouse or high-tunnel Full Spectrum Sunlight - All bees have a set of 5 eyes which are made of 2 large e...

  • Getting Started with Mason Bees - The Beginner's Guide - With Video

    Hi! We’re so glad you’re interested in raising mason bees! Mason bees are the perfect pollinators for backyard gardens, farms, and orchards because they are gentle, easy to raise, and fun to watch. Not to mention, they are super cross-pollinators that can double or even triple your yields! Thi...

  • Harvesting Mason Bees - With Videos

    Harvesting mason bee cocoons is a quick and easy way to ensure a healthier mason bee population! But, if that wasn't enough, harvesting also allows you to: Take Inventory of your mason bee population; Share your extra mason bee cocoons (and knowledge) with local friends and neighbors; and Par...

  • How Many Bees?

    Here are a couple of easy guidelines to help you know how many mason bee cocoons to keep during harvesting: Keep about 1.5 mason bee cocoons per nesting tube. For example, if you have a 48-hole wood tray for mason bees, keep about 75 mason bee cocoons. Keeping a few extra will ensure that you ha...

  • How to Release Mason Bee Cocoons - With Video

    Releasing mason bee cocoons simply means placing cocoons into your bee house so they can emerge and begin spring activities. Mason bees are cavity-nesting solitary bees, meaning they build their nests inside available nesting materials. They spend most of their lifetime inside these cavities a...

  • Mason Bee Characteristics and Identification

    Many bee raisers want to learn how to identify the bees that visit their yards and gardens. But, with over 4,000 species of native bees in North America, plus the non-native species that have been introduced, it can be challenging to identify bees down to the species level. Even if we look only ...

  • Mason Bees by Mail Instructions

    Hi! Whether you’re new to the world of mason bees, or a seasoned bee raiser looking for a refresher course, we’re here to help! In this guide, we cover what to do once your mason bees arrive at your doorstep.  Step 1: Bee-cautious, Bees may have emerged during transit!   We are unable to reg...

  • Parasites and Diseases of Mason Bees

    Note: If you have already read through Parasites and Diseases of Leafcutter Bees, you'll notice many of the same parasites and diseases also affect mason bees. However, there are few differences in this article, so make sure to give it a read as well! To learn about common all-season pests and p...

  • Picking a Mason Bee Ship Date

    Spring mason bees overwinter as adults, ready to emerge when daytime temperatures reach a consistent 55°F/13°C and spring blooms are open. We recommend picking a shipping date that is two weeks ahead of when you expect your spring plants to begin to bloom. We know that predicting spring blooms...

  • The Importance of Mud

    There's a reason we call them mason bees! Mason bees belong to the bee family Megachilidae, known as the architects of the bee world. Female mason bees build the walls of their nesting chambers out of mud or other "masonry" products to give each developing bee its own room in the nesting chambe...

  • The Mason Bee Raiser Calendar

    Mason bees hibernate as adults and are ready to emerge once daily spring temperatures are a consistent 55°F/13°C or above. Since climate varies widely across North America, this calendar breaks down mason bee raising tasks by season (and temperature) to ensure this guide is helpful no matter wh...

  • Video - How to Open a Mason Bee Cocoon

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  • What's This? A Pictorial Guide of Things Found in Nesting Materials

    During mason bee cocoon harvesting, you'll find all sorts of things inside the nesting materials. As expected, you'll find healthy mason bee cocoons, mud, and mason bee frass (poop). However, you may also find Chalkbrood, pollen mites (or other parasites), pollen loaves from bee eggs that never h...

  • Where Our Mason Bees Come From

    We take great pride in providing you with healthy mason bees specific to your region to give both you and the bees the best chance for success! Why mason bees?  Mason bees have certain advantages over other managed bee species, such as: The non-aggressive behavior of mason bees makes them sa...

  • Why We No Longer Sell Mason Bee Cardboard Tubes without Liners

    We no longer offer cardboard bee tubes alone. We are always learning, and we always put the health of the bees first. Here's the reason. As you may know, we have a bee buyback program in the fall. People sell us their harvested or unharvested extra cocoons. We have found that the tubes without l...