Mason Bee's for spring!

One of my spring "to do" is to add Mason Bee's to my garden. I have done a bunch of reading on the subject and it is quite easy to have and manage Mason bees. The orchard mason bee (Osmia lignaria) is a gentle beneficial insect that is a pollinator of apples, cherries, and other tree fruits. It is found throughout most of North America, particularly in wooded areas but often around homes in towns and cities. The orchard mason bee is usually slightly smaller than a honey bee and a shiny dark blue in color. You may have seen them and thought they were flies. Males are smaller than females, have longer antennae and an additional tuft of light colored hairs on the face. Females have hairs on the underside of the abdomen, called the "scopa", adapted for carrying pollen. The orchard mason bee is non-aggressive and will sting only if handled roughly.  Due to the dwindling population of the honey bee, we must support this important pollination bee. In the future, I hope to build a "Top Bar" hive for honey bees. But for now I will work on developing my Mason Bee for many future seasons.

Go to the site below. Crown Bees is located in Woodinville, WA. They are a super source for info and help. You can buy bees and all materials to get started. There is also a lot of free learning material to use.

 www.crownbees.com 

Here is the box of bees I received from Crown Bees - 10 males/10 females.The female cocoons are bigger than the males and hatch later in the season.

Here is the Mason bee house I built out of a left over piece of fence board. There are dozens of other styles including "bee blocks". If you have a garden, a sunny spot the faces SE (for morning sun) and plants, trees, flowers near by, get yourself some bees! I added in the purchased tubes for the females to make the cocoons in. That way I can harvest the cocoons in the fall and have my bees for next year. I added some straw/sticks for depth perception and a bee "scent" attractant. ** Note the box of bees in the chamber above. I have had them in the fridge for about 3 months. I hope they come out soon. More later on this.......come on out little friends and join my garden!