What Are Mason Bees?

The Solitary Mason Bee

• Mason bees can be found in the coolest, wooded areas in North America and may occur in cities and towns with large areas of vegetation. Smaller than the honeybee, mason bees do not share nests or hives, or raise young communally. Although groups of mason bee nest sites can be found in close proximity, each female mason bee creates a solitary nest and fills it with eggs which hatch and mature without tending.

Mason Bee Nests

• Having found a nest site, the female mason bee collects pollen to feed the emerging young and carries it to the nesting site. In the tubelike interior of the nesting hole, she forms a ball of pollen and nectar and lays eggs on it, then caps the tube with mud. When mature, the young mason bees break the mud seal and emerge. The size of adult mason bees can vary, depending on the size of the nesting tube in which they hatched.

Mason Bee Life Cycle

• Female mason bees mate soon after emerging as adults and begin a new nest within three to four days. Most live for about a month. New adult mason bees become dormant in the nesting cells through the colder times of fall and winter, emerging in the spring to pollinate newly flowering plants and trees. The mason bee requires relatively temperate climates with woods and grasses, thriving in the eastern and central areas of North America.

Mason Bee Cultivation

• Although they do not produce honey, mason bees can be raised and kept by gardeners as pollinators. Nesting boxes for mason bees can be built at home or purchased from beekeeping suppliers, and an abundance of blooming vegetation ensures their survival. Mason bees generally forage no farther than 100 yards from the nest, so they can thoroughly pollinate a large garden or other cultivated areas.