“Of the 4,000 bee species in North America, Mason bees are among the easiest to raise, while also being gentle and amazing pollinators. By raising solitary Mason bees, we can increase their population. It’s a great way to supplement the stressed Honey Bee and sustain our future food supply.
The Mason bee is a very productive pollinator for spring flowers, fruits, and berries. The female carries pollen on the underside of her hairy abdomen, and then scrapes the pollen off within her nesting hole. Because the pollen is carried dry on her hair, it falls off easily as she moves among flowers.” (Honeybee Conservancy)
All Mason bees are solitary, meaning each female is a queen who does all of the chores. She can’t gather pollen/nectar, lay eggs, gather mud, AND defend her hole… so she doesn’t. The Mason Bee is extremely gentle and allows you to confidently get inches from her nesting hole without fear of being stung.
Mason bees need moist, clayey mud for building their nesting chamber partitions. At the end of the nesting hole the female bee packs an extra thick layer of clayey mud for protection, this is called a capped end. Spring mason bees rely on mud to build their nesting chamber. Do not underestimate this requirement! If a mason bee finds no available clayey mud, they will fly elsewhere. If you observe a poor return of nesting spring bees make sure you provide clayey mud that remains moist.
Bamboo tubes for mason bee habitat.
Immediately after being laid, the egg hatches and the larva begins to consume its pollen loaf. The larva relies on warm spring and summer temperatures to grow, spin a cocoon and transform into an adult that hibernates through the winter.
Life Cycle
Early Spring:Adults emerge from cocoons and mate. Males are only actively flying for two weeks.
Spring:Females gather pollen and nectar, build muddy nest chamber partitions, seal up nesting hole ends with extra thick caps. Females actively fly for up to 6 weeks after emerging from their cocoons.
Late Spring-Fall: Eggs hatch and grow into larvae within their nesting chamber, larvae slowly grow and eat pollen loaf, spin dark brown cocoons.
Fall-Winter:Hibernate as fully-formed adults. Adults live off their stored fats over the winter.
Dr. Doug Miller, master gardener and beekeeper from Holiday Island, removes a swarm of bees from a tree at Lucky Dragon Cafe in Berryville. He brushed the queen into the bucket, prompting the other bees to follow in order to protect her. Swarms occur when an old queen leaves a hive and takes some of the worker bees with her. (Photo by David Bell)
Michelle Wisdom presented a program on pollinators to the March, 2017 monthly membership meeting at Carroll Electric Cooperative in Berryville.
