Busy little bees...

Well, we have successfully moved our family to a new home: two adults, three children, one cat, and one mason bee house filled with little nests. Actually, I'm not so sure about that last one. Moving mason bees at this time of year can actually suffocate them, so I am keeping my fingers crossed.

Blue Orchard Mason Bees (Osmia lignaria) are really quite lovely little creatures. They are native to this part of the world, and their numbers are dwindling due to the usual suspects (urban sprawl, loss of habitat, etc.)

These little guys look like blue bottle flies, except that they have four wings rather than two. Only the females sting, and then only if you really mess with them.

And why do we want them in the garden?

This is the perfect creature for the urban farmer because they are excellent pollinators. Blue Orchard Mason bees emerge usually sometime in March after there have been at least three days of 14 degree weather (certainly hasn't happened here yet), and complete their life cycle by June. This gives them just enough time to pollinate our peach, pear, plum and apple trees, for example.

Mason bee homes should be hung on a fence or post in a south-facing location about 5' above the ground, from whence they will proceed to pollinate just about everything that is flowering in their vicinity (last year I had them right beside my beloved peach tree--to which I have just tearfully said goodbye--and then had an excellent crop of sweet fuzzy peaches in August. Very nice, I must say).

After pollination, the female bees lay their eggs in new homes which you will provide for them. (this can be as simple as a short length of untreated wood drilled with holes about 6" in depth and hung just as I previously explained). In the fall you are supposed to put them in a cool dry area--an unheated garage works best), and then bring them out again in March...and the cycle begins again.

The photos here show my mason bee home, which was a gift from my (now former) neighbour, and quite palatial in scope really. After the bees leave it this spring I will clean it out and then hang it again for them to re-use. I will also make some new homes with 2x4 pieces to get as many bees as I can for next year, as I'd like them both in the front and back gardens.

We did this last year too but I only managed to save the palace in the chaos of family life. The others, sadly, got wet and oh jeeze I admit it, died over the winter. I'll do better this year...maybe.

So, if one does not already have a population of mason bees, where can one find a nest filled home of their own? There is a local fellow that sells nice mason bee homes between November and March, through the mail. Just place them in your garden and wait for them to hatch. I purchased my first batch at Victoria's Seedy Saturday, which is a great event for gardeners of all interest and skill levels. There are Seedy Saturday events in early spring or late winter in many towns, and I'm willing to bet that you can purchase mason bees at any of these.

After you have the initial population, you can then make your own bee homes. There are many variations on the theme, as you will see.

Being a mason bee keeper is pretty satisfying, and each home we all provide for these guys gets us a little closer to self-sufficiency and urban sustainability...and why wouldn't we want that?

-Erin Renwick