All About Mason Bees – What Gardeners Need To Know

01.08.2023 - 22:53 / gardeningknowhow.com / Mary Ellen Ellis

The solitary mason bee is a North American native pollinator that deserves more attention and respect. Honeybees do a lot of pollinating, but they are not native, their populations are in decline, and they are not as efficient at pollinating as some other species, including mason bees. Learn more about this humble bee and how to support it in your garden.

There are over 100 species of mason bee in the genus Osmia, including orchard mason bees known for pollinating in orchards. Unlike our friend the honeybee, the mason bee is solitary and does not make honey. It also differs in appearance. Many mason bee species are black and can be mistaken for flies. You can tell them apart by the wings. Flies have just one pair, while bees have two.

As a solitary animal, the mason bee nests alone in small cavities. It will find a place in a hollow stem or hole in a tree made by a woodpecker. It will also happily nest in manmade structures of the right size. Young mason bees emerge from their nests in spring when the temperatures are consistently 50 degrees F (10 C). The males emerge first, followed by the females. They then mate, and the females return to the nests a few days later. The name mason bee comes from the fact that the females use mud to seal up their nests like a mason would use mortar.

The lifespan of each individual bee is short, but during early spring, they are active and spend time gathering nectar and pollinating plants in the process. They visit a greater diversity of plant species than honeybees. One mason bee can pollinate about 2,000 flowers per day.

Male mason bees do not have stingers, but females do. The females of the species only sting if you corner them or harass them. Compared to many other stinging insects,