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Take the Sting Out of Bee Keeping
Native Orchard Mason Bees are widespread throughout North America. They are superb early season pollinators of fruit trees, strawberries, raspberries and blueberries-and better than honeybees, because they're active in colder temperatures and their hairy bodies carry more of the pollen that fertilizes your blossoms. Each female Orchard Bee makes her own nest in a series of tubes, sealed with mud. They are useful, small and docile-and they hardly ever sting unless severely provoked.
In nature, female mason bees lay their eggs in hollow plant stems, insect holes, dead trees, even under house shingles. Finding such places is hard work! By putting up our nest kits, you are providing an easy, ideal, "ready-made" home for the bees until they "hatch out" the following spring. They will repay your kindness by pollinating your early spring fruits and berries. And, they like company. Once the nest kits have been discovered, they'll tell all of their friends!
You can attract them to your garden with our nesting kits that provide exactly the right size holes the Orchard Bees are seeking in early Spring, in which to lay their eggs. Place the nest kit in a sheltered, sunny spot facing East or South.
Each nest kit is made from strong PVC pipe, containing smooth Kraft paper tubes that can be replaced with fresh tubes, after the new generation has hatched each year. Extensive research by USDA has found that smooth 6" tubes are preferred by the bees over short 4" holes drilled in wood blocks. The 6" tubes also insure a higher female ratio among the eggs produced.
 It's really easy to attach our Mason Bee Houses to a wooden building, - up under the eaves, where it's sheltered and dry.
Buy a roll of Plastic Hanger Tape from the Plumbing Supplies department of a hardware store or home center. It's used to support PVC drain pipes in basements and crawl spaces. It comes with pre-punched nail holes every half inch or so.
Wrap a length around the body of your Bee House until two sets of nail holes overlap. Cut the tape.
Hammer a flat headed nail through the overlapping holes and all the way into the wood until tape is firmly held.
Then slide the Bee House about half way into the snug loop.
Always install Bee Houses where they will be protected from direct rain, which would damage the Masons' mud work.
Up close under the eaves of a shed, garage or porch is a perfect location.
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 Our Mason Bee Nest Kits do not include the bees. If you put the nest kits outside in the very early spring (when the fruit trees are in bloom) the bees will come! This photo shows our colony of Mason Bees. We started out with one empty nest kit five years ago and now we have a colony of over 4000 bees! Watch our video to learn more! Graham & Michele Kinsman
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