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The super pollinators of spring!

Mason Bees

Mason bees are perfect for backyard gardens as they're gentle, easy to raise, and fun to watch.

Mason bees pollinate ~95% of the flowers they visit, where Honeybees pollinate ~5% of the flowers they visit.

Mason Bees

A-B-C's of Mason Bees

Explore the essentials of mason bees. Discover how they nest, a few yard needs, and you're good to go!

MASON BEE BEGINNER'S GUIDE

This guide covers the fundamental questions about mason bees and provides step-by-step guidance to help you become a successful bee raiser.

MASON BEE LIFE CYCLE

Mason bees are only active in your garden for about 4-6 weeks, beginning early spring and spend the rest of their lives inside their nesting chambers. This guide is a seasonal look at a year in the life of a mason bee!

MASON BEE CHARACTERISTICS AND IDENTIFICATION

Learn the common characteristics that the genus Osmia (mason bees) share to help you pick out the mason bees from the other insect pollinators in your yard and garden.

THE MASON BEE RAISER CALENDAR

Mason bees hibernate as adults and emerge once daily spring temperatures are a consistent 55°F/13°C or above. This calendar breaks down mason bee raising tasks by season (and temperature) to ensure this guide is helpful no matter where you live!

MASON BEE BASICS PPT

This PPT was created to help raise awareness and educate communities on the importance of mason bees. It includes speaker notes to help you present with confidence. You can easily edit and tailor the presentation to meet the needs of your audience.

PICKING YOUR MASON BEE SHIP DATE

Use this guide to help you pick the best shipping date for your mason bees.

MASON BEES BY MAIL INSTRUCTIONS

Use this guide to learn how to prepare for your bees and what to do when your Mason bees arrive at your doorstep.

Set up your bee house

Learn how simple it is to correctly locate your mason bee house

THE IMPORTANCE OF MUD

There's a reason we call them mason bees! Female mason bees build the walls of their nesting chambers out of mud or other "masonry" products to give each egg a safe place to develop into an adult bee.

How to release mason bee cocoons

While easy, there are a few precautions to consider!

SUMMER: REMOVE, PROTECT, STORE

Female mason bees only forage and nest for about 4-6 weeks and produce just one generation per year. So, once the females have completed nesting, we can remove and store the developing bees in a safe space, away from hungry predators.

HARVESTING MASON BEES

Learn the importance of harvesting cocoons, the best harvesting practices for our three different types of nesting materials (natural reeds, wood trays, and cardboard tubes), and how to clean and store your mason bee cocoons for healthy spring bees!

PARASITES AND DISEASES OF MASON BEES

Proper care can significantly reduce the incidences of pests, parasites, and diseases and allow managed bees to thrive. This article highlights the common enemies of mason bees by season and methods for their control.

WHAT'S THIS? PICTORIAL GUIDE FOR MASON BEE HARVESTING

During mason bee cocoon harvesting, you'll find all sorts of things inside the nesting materials. This pictorial guide will help you identify the various things you may come across while harvesting.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do Mason bees sting?

Without the need to protect a hive, Mason bees are gentle and rarely sting (on the rare occasion they do, it's comparable to a mosquito bite).

What Mason Bee species does Crown Bees manage?

We work with the two most commonly managed species of Mason bee: the Blue Orchard Bee and the Japanese Orchard Bee (AKA Horn faced Bee).

Both species are highly efficient spring pollinators and are alike in the types of crops they pollinate and the way they construct their nests. The specific species of Mason Bee that you will receive from us is dependent on your location.