MICRO-FARMING HOW-TO: Native orchard mason bees are an increasingly popular alternative or addition to honeybees for pollination, especially for early spring blossoming crops. They generally need temperate winters to complete their life cycles, but winter temperatures below 30 F. can kill them if their winter nests aren’t protected enough from the elements. They don’t make honey or wax. They usually come out earlier in spring than honeybees, being the most active from March through June, after which the bees complete their egg laying duties and die, so other pollinators need to take over.
Attract them in March and April with mason bee homes near areas you need pollination. Though solitary, mason bees like their homes to be in groups (aka apartment mason bee homes).
They seek multiple long thin tubes with mud nearby to make nesting plugs inside the tubes (photo of the mason bee nesting box here links to our Gardens Alive affiliate where it can be purchased). Homemade mason bee homes can be made by filling a clean recycled coffee can with plastic straws (gluing them to the bottom) and mounting it horizontally. Or, drill untreated softwood 4×6” blocks with ¼-inch to 3/8-inch diameter holes close to four to six inches deep without drilling all the way through. ATTRA reports that Brain Griffin, an experienced mason beekeeper, drills the holes on ¾ inch centers and protects the finished blocks with cedar shingle overhangs. Each year they’re cleaned with a bleach solution. The mason bee homes should be placed where they get at least morning sunshine. — www.MicroEcoFarming.com