We’re all familiar with the European honey bee – a species known for fiercely protecting the honey it stores for the winter. These bees live in hives, there is one queen per colony, and worker drones fly around doing the queen’s bidding. They are quick to sting people who venture near the hive, so some people look upon them as pests. Mason bees are often overshadowed by their hive-minded relations, but they live and behave in a completely different manner.
Gardeners covet mason bees for a number of reasons. First, they are more passive and restrained than other bees because they have no honey to defend. Each female bee makes her own nest, and she will only sting if trapped underfoot or squeezed. Perhaps most importantly, mason bees are efficient pollinators – a real boon to have in a backyard garden. They cannot make their own tunnel dwellings, so they rely on preexisting crevices like those in a bee house. These bees are also resistant to many of the diseases that have hurt the honey bee population.
Tags: bee habitat, mason bees