Bring Back the Pollinators

Why Mason Bees?

At a time when there is so much discussion about the demise of the honeybee, our food source seems to be in jeopardy. Beyond stating the obvious that native bees can fill in much of the need for pollination, here are some of the reasons why native bees, more specifically mason bees are so important. We are zeroing in on just one or two types of mason bees: The blue orchard bee, and the Japanese horned bee.

They are super pollinators. There are several reasons for this, but the main one is how they collect the pollen. They crash land into a bloom scattering pollen from other blooms they have gathered by static electricity on their bodies. Flying to the next bloom, they do the same thing. They are very inefficient pollen collectors, but very efficient at cross-pollination. Some of the other reasons are, they fly in drizzle and cool temperatures, they don’t have to defend and support a hive, they collect pollen and nectar at the same time, they only fly 300 feet (non long distance foraging), and they prefer orchards. They are faster fliers than a honeybee. They are reported to be 2 to 3 times better pollinators than honeybees. When they are combined with honeybees, they improve the honeybee pollination.

These bees are gentle. Unless they are trapped in clothing or your hands they will not sting. In fact, the nickname for the blue orchard bee is “the Gentle Bee”.  If you are stung, it is more like a pinprick and lasts less than a minute.  Some skin is actually too thick for the stinger to penetrate. The male bees have no stinger.

They are easy to raise. If they have sufficient forage, mud and safe housing you have a good chance they will stay. Very little needs to be done once the boxes are up.

They are inexpensive to get started. To get started with honeybees takes about $500 for hive, bees, suit, and equipment. Mason bees should run about $30 for the bees, simple box, tubes and/or straws. If you’re handy, you can make your own box and straws. You can even rent bees, box and straws for about $20 to see if the mason bee is for you.

They are fascinating! Most of all, they really hold the attention of everyone from children to grandparents.