Orchard Mason Bees
 

Apparently many commercial beekeepers are experiencing a dramatic die-off of their bees. Mason Bees are an alternative. I think I am going to order mason bees again to replenish my supply and do my part for keeping the population of these great bees as high as possible.

:cool: Love our Mason bees! I bought a new empty block for them last spring and they almost filled it up. It's fun to go out on a warm spring day and watch them polinating our raspberry flowers!

I love Orchard Mason bees!!!
~Carrie C.

What makes a Mason bee different? :shrug:
AZ has lost at least half of it's polinating bee population in the past couple years.

where do you get them, YFR? We had the wild ones in SC they were great for the garden. They really are hard to provoke to sting- and since DH is allergic (darn near lost him one day when he couldnt find the epipen, glad I had epi in the fridge for when I give vaccines or I'd be a widow!) so OMB are the way top go for us!

I'll be looking for some in a few months, and would appreciate a recommendation.

Never bought "catalog bees" before! Any thing important to know abou tit?.

Was an article in our paper too, regarding the bees dying.

We got our first bees through an order form in the back of Brian L. Griffin's book The Orchard Mason Bee. Now, we just build an additional house a year and they fill it up.
If you can get Griffin's book, I highly reccomend it.
Wolf mom - OMBs are a solitary, non-honey bee, and, therefore, have some different predators. Plus, since they don't live in colonies, they are less apt to be entirely wiped out like colony bees.
Check out your extension service. They might have some resources of where to get OMBs in your area.

Carrie, how do you make a house for mason bees? Just take a block of wood and drill holes in it? What size do you recommend?

Will post particulars tommorow A.M. Just got Wife home from the hospital after Cardiac scare. All is OK

Glad to hear all is well, YuccaFlatsRanch!
Donal- I took a 4x4 drilled 5/16" holes about 3/4" apart to a 1/2 of the back (masking tape on a hand-drill bit worked as my guide). Instead of leaving a 1/2" back, I've drilled strait through and glued a 1/2" board on the back. Works fine. You can make it as wide and long as you want but I've found that 4" deep is about as deep as I can stand drilling.
The houses make great kids' project. The roofs are so fun to mess around with. You can have tiles, wooden shakes, those little square mirrors, words...

Wild honey bees are long gone around here, and I don't know of any domestic honey bees anywhere near here. However we have lots of bees that look similar to a honey bee, but are smaller and a little different in color. They make our buckeye tree hum when it blooms, but I've never been chased or threatened by one.
Any ideas what we have???

I realise that this is about bees. But I have seen two or three kinds of moths in the flowers of veggies at night when I am looking for distructive bugs on garden plants. Isn't there other pollinators for the garden?
I made four blocks like the one I bought to get the mason bees I put them in different spots in the gardens. I got maybe four or five bees in a block. I don't know if that's good or not.

Do mason bees live in most areas and just find the bee houses? Or do most people have to buy starter bees or cocoons?

Some type of solitary bee, possibly OMB's.

By the way, if you want a cheap and easy OMB nest block McDonald's drink straws are supposed to work :shrug: Just make a bundle and glue them into a can or carton.

Mason bees will find our bee houses. They usually just use other holes such as beetle holes in wood. Sometimes they use the area beteen siding on houses.

I figure I am better off if I give the natural population a little BOOST.

BTW if you live west of the continental devide there is another variety of mason bee that works in the summer rather than early spring.

https://id408.van.ca.siteprotect.com...3644146026e32e

OK here's a newbie question: Will the spring and summer bees lay eggs in the same tubes? They like different sizes, but I wondered if spring bees would ever be blocked/prevented from emerging by summer bees/cocoons that haven't emerged yet?

Apparently they like different diameter holes. Both bees seem to be particular about their holes.

Differences
 

What are the differences in pollination activities between Honey Bees and Orchard Mason Bees? I heard that OMB's will get a head start on the season by going out earlier? Does one type of bee pollinate more effectively? Do/will they both pollinate the same plants and trees? How long will the OMB continue to pollinate before shacking up for the season? - I've heard they are only out for a very short time. Please also add any other comments you might have about the differences. Thanks!

Well, one of the advantages of domestic honey bees is that you have a lot of control over your pollinators...bring in a bunch of bees and turn them loose to work...honeybees are out working much of the year.

OMBs can be tricked into pollinating for long periods; you'll just need several small houses. Then stick the houses in the 'fridge and take out as needed.

They say that OMB's are about 100 times more effective per bee than honeybees. OMB's are more interested in the pollen while Honeybees are interested in the necter. OMB's are out working earlier in the year than the honeybees so they help your early fruit more.

I'm glad to have both working.

bump ...please keep going. This is very interesting reading.

I have three managed colonies of HB located within 25 feet of the garden. With few exceptions, they seem to view the garden as "fly over country". Once they focus on a wild pollen/nectar source they pretty much abandon my garden. OMBs on the other hand are the bee pollinator I see most working my garden crops. Of course there are many other pollinators besides bees working the garden too. I have never built anything to attract them but old barns/outbuildings and trees are in abundance so obviously they are finding suitable habitat on their own.

David