You may be surprised by what's exciting me. It's the same every year. I have to peel myself away. I have things to get done, you know. But I keep going back again and again. I could watch them for hours. I frequently update my family and shout out numbers like they’re scores for my favorite team. “12, 17, 22, 25, 35...50!" and "“I think they’re all going to be full this year!!!” My family like them, too - to a point lol. I'm a bit much.
Truly, I can’t get enough of them.
Enough of what?
Mason bees! They make me kinda giddy. They fascinate me. I think of them when I’m falling asleep and again when I wake up. Each bee lives only 4 to 6 weeks. I have a few successions of them going. Still, it will all be over in less than three months. I need to make the most of mason bee season and spend as much time in front of the bee house as I can.
Mason Bees in (very) Slow Motion
Why do I like them so much? They’re cute. It's easy to like them because they’re passive. They crawl on my hand and land on my nose now and again. Even if they weren't so friendly, their stingers are usually too short to make it into human skin. Nothing to be afraid of. As for all things growing in my garden, I've been learning and fine tuning my skills since that first batch of mason bees arrived. (The bees I have are all their descendants). I think I've finally got them all figured out! I won’t share the ins and outs here but if you’re interested in getting started with your own mason bees, you can read how, step by step.
This here is more of a love letter than a how-to manual. I'm going to share some videos and photos with you in hopes you'll discover for yourself how wonderful they are. Keeping mason bees can be altruistic, too. Their numbers are declining, You can help reverse that. I got into it for the good deed and have stuck with it because I'm selfish.
Short and Sweet Mason Bee Video
Alongside bumble bees, mason bees are our native North American bees. Because they’re so sloppy, mason bees pollinate 2-3 times more flowers than honey bees. (There's a number floating around out there, too, that 400 mason bees do the work of 40,000 honey bees. Don't know if it's true). When they go for a long drink of nectar, they pick up a lot of accidental pollen on their "bellies" and then lots of it falls off at the next stop. They don't have a whole hive to support with the pollen they harvest. In fact, each lady mason bee lays only about 15 eggs in her lifetime. So she can afford to be inefficient. All this to the benefit of your garden.
But don't go thinking she's lazy! Mason bees get up earlier in the morning than European honey bees, and stay out later at night. When they do finally get into bed, they're very still and it's a great time to get a good look. I love to peer into the bee house early in the morning when I can spy their little faces and big eyes staring out at me. Adorable. Mason bees are up for a little cold, too.
All this makes mason bees the best pollinators for your (North American) garden. Better pollinator than honey bees! It's thanks to these cute critters (and other pollinators) that I can do everything I do and make everything I make. Because it all starts with my garden! Visit my shop to see for yourself.
They're easy to keep. This makes them the perfect pet for someone like me. They're all my kids are ever going to get 😂 (My kids are more like this: 😪)
I need to go now and count the score on the mason bees. You know, how many tubes they've filled, so far :) So I'm going to sign off now! If you're feeling called to host your own mason bees, this is how you keep mason bees. All my best, Chwynyn PS If you're just skimming, I'm sharing my love for mason bees. If you're interested in having your own, this is how you keep mason bees. I love mason bees, one reason being without their amazing pollinating abilities, my shop shelves would be empty. Please go see for yourself, how it all starts with my garden!
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