Mason Bees What Makes Mason Bees Popular Among The Beekeepers

Want to know more about mason bees and their usefulness? In this article we have discussed what mason bees are and what makes them so popular as garden pets.

Mason bees are a common species of bees and belong to the family Megachilidae. They are named so because of their habit of creating components of mud in their nests. Mason bees are solitary bees and are considered as friendly garden pets.

Mason bees are considered as the best pollinators and one of the best ways to enhance your garden. One can observe mason bees within a close range and without any fear of getting stung as them are harmless and less aggressive. The orchard mason bee is one the common types of mason bees preferred by many beekeepers. Orchard mason bees are gentle in nature, carry a blue-black metallic look, and do not stay in hives.

Why Mason Bees are So Popular:

The wild honeybees are hardly existing and dangerous and one should be lucky enough to find honeybees in their garden these days. It is a known fact without good bee pollination one cannot watch their fruit trees grow in full blossom. This is one of the reasons that make mason bees useful and beneficial crop and garden pollinators. Studies have confirmed that orchard mason bees are preferred for their nature of feeding on fruit tree flowers, therefore are excellent pollinators. These mason bees pollinate under cool and cloudy weather, thus providing adequate fruit tree pollination.

It is not necessary to have a large population of mason bees for successful pollination. One can have around fifty mason bees to carry on the pollination properly and a 50-hole nest may be enough to pollinate your garden successfully.

Mason bees are somewhat smaller than a honeybee and look shiny along with metallic dark blue color with two set of wings. Female mason bees are larger than males and have hairs on their abdomen to carry pollen. It is during the early spring that the mason bees become active and can even adapt to poor weather conditions unlike other bees. During good weather conditions, they begin early and end up late, therefore producing efficient pollination. Mason bees are mostly found in the USA and southern Canada.

It is true that Mason bees are the most efficient pollinators as they work on the reproductive structures of the fruits and flowers collecting both nectar and pollen concurrently. One must take proper care and make sure the bee house is secured. In addition, the bee larvae should not be knocked off or your mason bees may starve. If you create the nests for the mason bees to live in your garden, then a large number of mason bees may get attracted in your neighborhood.

While purchasing mason bees make sure they are well inspected and from a similar climate like yours. It is also important to buy mason bees from licensed and authorized dealers.