Mason Bee, BugGuide
Yes it may be out of season but let’s discuss Mason Bees in this Tip from the Yard. Mason bees like bee houses. Maybe you will want to try a house close to your fruit trees next spring.
Mason bees are a solitary bee. They do not live in a hive or form a colony, they do not have workers, they do not produce honey. They do not pollinate all summer. They are native non-stinging bees common thorough out the United States. There are 140 species in North America. They can visit more flowers than honey bees per minute.
Mason bees lay eggs in tubular cavities marking off sections. The male emerges from the cavity first, when the female emerges, they mate and the male dies. The female begins making new nests. These are small cavities which the female fills with pollen she has gathered from nearby plants. She shapes the pollen into a ball. Each ball goes into a section of the tube cavity. She will lay an egg on the pollen ball. When the process in a section is finished, she seals it up with mud. The next pollen ball and egg are laid in order from the back of the tube forward. She repeats the pollen ball and egg process, until the tube is filled. During the summer, the larva hatches and consumes the pollen. After consuming all the pollen, it spins a cocoon and enters the pupal stage. It hibernates in the space in the cavity till the following spring. The mason bees at the end of the tube cavity are male. The mason bees on the interior of the tube cavity are female. The cycle repeats each spring.
Mason bees like tubular nesting sites. They are just as happy with a hollow plant stem as they are a solitary bee house either made or purchased. It is best to set out a mason bee house in mid to late March. They are one of the first bees to emerge. Mount the house securely in a protected spot safe from rain, wind and late season snow. A south facing post near a pollinator garden or fruit tree is perfect. Ensure there is open ground for the female to collect mud for the sections of the tube. They are not around all summer but when they are they are very efficient at transferring pollen. There are other solitary bees but the mason bee is a most interesting busy bee.
See why I wanted to spend a little time now on these interesting bees. Be sure to put out a Mason Bee house early next spring. Let’s clear up a couple of misconceptions in the next Tip we’ll discuss pet safety as the holidays roll around.
-M. Massey, Lorain County MGV
Resources:
Mason Bees in the Home Garden, Penn State University
Heather Holms Top Gardening Activities to Support Native Bees, Penn State University