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Pollination

Mason bees have the ability to fly in our weather conditions and at lower temperatures than other bees. They are relatively easy to stage and care for.

Native throughout continental USA and southern Canada, Blue Orchard Mason Bees are super-efficient, hard-working spring crop pollinators: They collect nectar and pollen at the same time by lighting on the flower, taking nectar by tongue and collecting pollen using their rear and middle legs. A single female mason bee will visit nearly 2,000 blossoms a day and a smaller home orchard can be adequately pollinated by 40 - 50 bees. Ten mason bees will pollinate thousands of blossoms.

The mason bee is smaller than the honeybee, with a metallic blue body and two sets of wings.

Pollination
68 Round Tube Bee Nest

68 Round Tube Bee Nest

The big round holder is closed at the back and comes with 68 snugly fitting standard nesting tubes. By the end of June, almost every tube will be sealed up by the little masons, and ready for storage and cleaning later in the season. The holder itself is ultimately biodegradable, constructed from bamboo and rice hulls. A potential harvest of 300+ mason bee cocoons. The holder is 16cm (6¼") deep, and 9cm (3½") in diameter. Includes 68 nesting tubes!

From : $ 14.95 CA

Cedar Mason Bee Nesting Shelter

Cedar Mason Bee Nesting Shelter

A solid cedar box designed to house three of the Round Tube Holders, and protect them from the elements. Mount this shelter on a south-facing wall at about eye level, and observe the work of these busy pollinators. Comes with 3 Round Tube Holders and 204 tubes!

From : $ 59.95 CA

Mason Bee Cocoons

Mason Bee Cocoons

Osmium lignaria ssp. lignaria
Twelve dormant mason bee cocoons come in a small cardboard container. Store the container in a safe spot in the refrigerator until about a week before crops begin to bloom. When the nest site has been cleaned and prepared, secure it to the nest site. As the sun warms the nest site, the bees will emerge. Emergence can take hours, or several days.
Feel free to contact us if you have any questions at 1-888-804-8820.
Click here to learn more about keeping mason bees.

They come in a package that measures 10cm wide x 8cm tall x 10cm long.

We are sorry, but our mason bee cocoons are now sold out for 2013.

From : $ 16.50 CA

Mason Bee Complete Care Kit

Mason Bee Complete Care Kit

This pollinator kit contains everything you need for keeping mason bees. Perfect for the novice bee rancher who wants to support these hardworking native pollinators, this kit makes being a bee helper simple and straightforward. The Complete Care Kit makes a great gift, and provides a unique educational opportunity for kids. Kit includes a starter cottage, nesting tubes, life cycle poster, and one packet of Bee Blend wildflower seeds. Each version of this kit comes in a package that is 21cm wide, 8cm tall, and 28cm long.

From : $ 23.95 CA

Mason Bee Deluxe Care Kit

Mason Bee Deluxe Care Kit

There are few simpler ways to educate yourself and your family about the life cycles of beneficial garden insects than to cultivate docile mason bees. Everything needed for a large garden area in one convenient package: The Mason Bee Heritage House with predator guard, five Quick-Lock Stacking Trays with room for thirty bees, the Bee Scoop for easy removal of fall cocoons, the Mason Bee Lifecycle Poster, mason mud, and a packet of our bee blend wildflower seeds.  Save money with this comprehensive kit! The package for both versions of this kit is 25cm wide, 27cm tall, and 32 cm long.

From : $ 68.95 CA

Mason Bee Heritage House

Mason Bee Heritage House

This attractive cedar house provides a long lasting shelter for 30 bees. Inside the house there is a stack of 5 nesting trays which can be removed and separated for easy annual maintenance. The space above the trays can be used to place hibernating cocoons over the winter to encourage their safe emergence in the next pollinating season. The house comes with a predator guard and basic instructions. This Heritage House is 20cm wide x 18cm tall x 23cm long.

 

From : $ 46.95 CA

Mason Bee Lifecycle Poster

Mason Bee Lifecycle Poster

Great educational tool, and a good reminder of seasonal maintenance tasks for the mason bee keeper. This poster is 21cm wide and 28cm long.

 

From : $ 3.95 CA

Mason Bee Observation Box

Mason Bee Observation Box

This glassed in, closable case has a hole at one end for mason bees to get in and out. The enclosed tubes allow you to watch us they build their chambers, store food for their yoyung, and lay their eggs. The larva then mature and spin cocoons for their winter rest. This is a fantastic teaching tool, and reveals the private lives of mason bees! This observation box is 20cm wide, 6cm tall, and 12cm long.

From : $ 19.95 CA

Mason Bee Scoop

Mason Bee Scoop

This Mason Bee harvest scoop is the perfect tool to remove mason bee cocoons from their nesting tunnels. The curve of the scoop is set to maximize ease of use and minimize damage to cocoons. Mason bee cocoons are harvested from nests in October to December. Directions: Open the Beediverse Nesting Trays and set them on a flat surface. Each nesting tunnel contains the smaller male cocoons at the front of the nest and female cocoons at the back. Hold the scoop at a 33 degree angle with the pointed end of scoop at base of nesting tunnel. Gently push and lift scoop to ease mason bee cocoons out of each tunnel. This scoop is 22cm long.

From : $ 12.95 CA

Mason Bee Starter Cottage

Mason Bee Starter Cottage

The Starter Cottage contains 20 nesting tubes for 20 female bees. In early spring, wild mason bees search for nest sites such as the Starter Cottage. Mason bees can also be bought and placed inside the Starter Cottage if you create a space by removing one or two of the tubes. In the fall, the bee cocoons are removed from the tubes for annual cleaning and storage. Replacement tubes are also available. The "A" size package is 8cm wide, 8cm tall, and 21cm long. The "B" size package is 8cm wide, 11cm tall, and 21cm long.


From : $ 14.95 CA

Mason Mud

Mason Mud

Hang this ball of specially selected clay near your mason bee nest to provide female bees with the material they use to separate and seal in egg cells.

From : $ 2.95 CA

Nesting Tubes

Nesting Tubes

Cardboard nesting tubes are attractive to mason bees and are an inexpensive way of getting started. The 35 tubes are closed at one end to provide the ideal mason bee nesting conditions. When it's time to clean the cocoons, the tubes are moistened and gently peeled apart. These are good replacements for the Starter Cottage and Tube Holder Kits. This item is 7cm wide, 7cm tall, and 16cm long.

From : $ 10.95 CA

Quicklock Stacking Trays

Quicklock Stacking Trays

These Mason Bee stacking nesting trays are made from biodegradable corn plastic trays are interlocking and long lasting. Easy to assemble and clean, you can create your own shelter design (try a birdhouse look or a pipe) to protect the trays from weather. Set the stack of 5 (2part) trays horizontally into a dark container 5-8cm (2-3") deeper than the 15cm (6") trays. One set provides 30 nesting sites.

From : $ 24.95 CA

Wild Bee and Ladybug House

Wild Bee and Ladybug House

Mount this specially designed wild bee & ladybug house in your garden to provide beneficial insects with an over-wintering shelter. The variously sized bamboo tubes will attract a range of different wild solitary bees, and the solid wood block is perfect for ladybird beetles (ladybugs). Made of FSC cedar. Note: this house is not suitable for mason bees, as it does not disassemble for annual maintenance.

From : $ 54.95 CA