Mason Bees Return!!!

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[@thechaosgardener]

Another idea I do around my perimeter is i pile branches and sticks along my fence and I’ve seen bees around them so I’m guessing they just sticks laying around for the same (if you don’t have cash leave sticks around)

[@cindyjones520]

Nice!!

[@krysthanh8932]

That’s so great idea

[@ichaffee1]

I loved your video...I enjoy watching bumble bees. They love my lavender plants..Thank you for teaching me about these kinds of bees ..Never knew about them til now!!

[@MistressOnyaCox]

YOUR A LOVELY 😍 BEING TO BE AROUND

[@belladuncan9985]

I heard somewhere where the sound (I believe it was a c note) of an active bee hive helped reduce PTSD in patients.

[@shotgunbettygaming]

Bumblebees have an average buzz frequency of 270 Hz, resonating with a C-sharp on a piano (just above middle C). The frequencies that bees emit resonate with organic tissues that promote healing. In humans, the brain also can entrain to these sounds for an overall calming effect. It's why there is Bee Therapy. Get some vets into beekeeping and it not only helps them but the planet as well. Win Win, amiright?! edit: gotta be honest though, of all the bees I'd want to keep, Bumbles are the bottom of the list LOL! Mean lil buggers!

[@suzannefronzaglio2427]

I too was trying to recall a video I saw a few months ago, on how the vibrations/frequencies that a bee creates is actually healing and good for you. The yt channel was all about frequencies (good hertz frequencies versus bad hertz frequencies).

[@gillsmoke]

That's right, everybody thinks of honey bees but most pollinators are solitary insects like these mason bees. as well as lots of butterfly and moth species.

[@nextchancenow7153]

Ants too. They get in there 😊

[@DancingwithDaisiesOfficial]

I need to make some of these❣️

[@GARDENSTATEGARDENER]

need to get a home for the mason bills soon

[@carolinegray7510]

Bamboo canes work well, too.😊

[@MichaelJohnson-mo4em]

I 💕 mason bees!

[@libbywells5499]

Yup, here in SE Michigan this week they appeared with the warm weather also, last 4-5 days. Currently digging a rain garden and they've been constant companions, couldn't agree more with the good vibes they bring!

[@nextchancenow7153]

Outside of Flint and they are all over right now.

[@edibleacres]

They are a joy

[@andrewlay88]

Love those little guys.

[@TheTruthlady]

Thanks a bunch for this post…the information is priceless!

[@therelianceschool]

I love seeing all those happy bees! I would note that the Xerces Society no longer recommends making bee hotels such as this, as when the bees are closely concentrated there's a greater risk of disease, mites, and predatory insects wiping out all your residents. Instead, they recommend simply trimming the stems of reedy/pithy plants in fall, which allows mason bees and other pollinators to burrow in more easily. This is their natural overwintering habitat, and provides a little more resilience from adversity. But as always, observe, take feedback, and don't fix what's working!

[@edibleacres]

Seems like doing both/all makes the most sense!

[@justmejo9008]

Ever thought about that. I have many plants that would be great for them. Thanks for this

[@truax848]

How do you cut the Knot weed stems??? Do you use a hacksaw???

[@joescott3393]

Most Mason bees do not even have a stinger. God Bless Joe Scott Muddy Dog Ranch

[@Crina-LudmilaCristeaAuthor]

Hehe, awesome!💛💛💛

[@Frombie_01]

Do Mason bees have a secret handshake or bum wiggle?

[@malaleuca6620]

They are super fun and amazing to be around, I learned this year that mason bees pollinate pears because the honeybees don't like the smell, and that they are much more cold hardy I bet they are great in many more ways but this came to mind first! They live in brick stables and any brick buildings in our place and it looks like a giant beehouse when they start flying in and out, crazy, I want to make a structure like yours for them just to watch them :)

[@edibleacres]

We love having them with us and NEED to make more housing all over the darn place!

[@nataliejohnson5148]

Wow thank you

[@3dreamsPermaculture]

🐝 🐝 🐝 💯💯💯

[@bkzlab]

What plants/flowers do you plant to make sure they have enough food?

[@edibleacres]

We simply try to have absolutely as much variety as possible

[@nextchancenow7153]

Have a flood of the solitary bees around the last few days, sad I have so few flowers available for them. I’m doing some bee hotels and water plates this year. Want to gibe more than just forage for the critters. ❤

[@edibleacres]

It is worth the small amount of effort

[@StAndrew65]

Mason bees are awesome!

[@lupatwist2531]

Thanks Edible Acres! I had just fallen down another blasted YT fear hole when this popped up! Keep it up =)

[@glennwilck5459]

No shortage of fear holes

[@scottbillups4576]

I hear the home owner is supposed to clean-out the old tubes, and put-in fresh tubes. When do we do this? I don't want to throw-away tubes full of baby-bees.

[@yeevita]

i would say leave them alone unless you notice a problem - such as no bees using it, etc. I just keep cleaning up the garden to a minimum and have bees, wasps, etc. all over the place. The wasps seemed to have taken quite a hit last year - several hives were lost - but they seem stable so far this year. Mine are very benign wasps. If they were aggressive, I might take more notice.

[@Michael_McMillan]

When I set up something like that, spiders made it their home. They ate everything else trying to move in :(

[@edibleacres]

Whoa, wouldn't have expected that!

[@cooperrosa]

It happens and we just let them be. Make another home for the bees somewhere else. Spiders aren’t as magnificent as the bees, yet are extremely important.

[@gardensforliferiverton]

We have a Mason wasp in New Zealand, Pison spinolae. I wonder if it is of the same family?

[@shotgunbettygaming]

Entirely different species. I was taught that 'Mason' was a general term used to reference the style and usage of materials with which they would 'build' their nests. Usually with mud or chewed up wood paper that makes a sort of Cob or Stucco, much like Masons of old were known for....brickwork, cement, cob, etc. Just like what the Mason Bees use to create chambers inside their tubes. Some just got the name more permanently I suppose, though I believe it is still technically a slang name. I now know that 'Mason Bees' refers to a VERY specific genus (the Osmia), but there are also hundreds of species within the genus. Which is why Mason Bees would look different at my house compared to the ones at your house (assuming we live in different parts of the country of course). edit: I take that back, you said NZ, so we are deffo in different parts LOL!)

[@gardensforliferiverton]

Hey thanks! That's really good info, I appreciate it.

[@shotgunbettygaming]

I just love mason Bees! I call them the Puppy Dawg Bees and they ARE lovely beings to hang out with, very friendly and curious! The most danger they seem to carry is accidentally sniffing one up your nose because they're inspecting your face. Love to see them so busy in the garden! How often do you change, if ever, their tubes or add new ones? I know they reuse old ones and they must be able to tell by scent which ones are occupied but some of those entrances seemed really closed up.

[@edibleacres]

I get them up my nose all the time, it's kinda fun

[@shotgunbettygaming]

@@edibleacres 😆😂🐝

[@SteveNoverini]

Wild haha.

[@MrIamnoone]

Do you have to change out the tubes every year or just set them and basically forget them?

[@Gabi-lt4mx]

The bees normally clean the tubes by themself.

[@MacJohnsonFarm]

I have long wondered if we could use invasive bush honeysuckle stems. It would be pretty cool to turn something terrible into something awesome. We’ll have to give it a shot and see.

[@edibleacres]

Worth trying...

[@chucknorisclone]

I’d like to make a couple of these but I don’t have access to any tube like materials where I am

[@Gabi-lt4mx]

In Germany, you can buy cardboard tubes with different diameters. Off into an old can and hung up rainproof.

[@edibleacres]

You can buy stuff but I bet there are options around you that could be found...

[@chucknorisclone]

@@edibleacres I’ve composted all the woody material from last year there are a lot of dried 6 foot tall grass around

[@yeevita]

Actually , various plant stalks once they die have soft middles. Left long enough, they become tubes. You could help them along. In addition, various leave stems are tubes. Kind of delicate, but if you place them before they fully dry, they should work. Stalks that come to mind - sunflower stalks, corn stalks, stalks of like giant lilies, various melons or pumpkins, or vines. I tend to just not keep the garden super clean and I get cute bees all the time, even in winter when I thought it was too cold.

[@katiesvegpatch]

I had what I think we're miner bees last year but we had to cover the area they used (they discovered it while we were digging it out and started using it😢) so I got a mason bee house and I'm hoping I'll be able to make up for it. The tubes I have are designed to be opened and replaced every year to prevent parasites, but I'd love a more permanent structure like these.

[@edibleacres]

This super simple approach seems most in line with what they want, definitely worth considering

[@awakenacres]

I got a mason bee house last year on clearance for a few dollars. I guess it’s time to put it up. Thanks for the reminder!🐝

[@awakenacres]

I rescued a couple bees from a watering can this week. Now I leave a stick in any cans or buckets of water so the little creatures can climb out.

[@yLeprechaun]

Hmmm. I'm one zone warmer than you, SW Ohio, and neither of my mason bee homes have any activity. I must have done something wrong .

[@edibleacres]

Could be they haven't found it yet?

[@yLeprechaun]

@@edibleacres, you always a positive thought/reply/idea.

[@jonathanrich4213]

Do you think they remember the location? We have a mason bee house but we only had a few last year.

[@barbebrown7753]

Yes I think they do. Last season I had a hole filled by them. Now one is very intrested in the hole since they have hatched. Phoenix Az area slump block home

[@cooperrosa]

Great question. I was told we must clean up the tubes each spring.

[@Gabi-lt4mx]

The bees you see now are hatched from the tubes. First males, later the females. They mate. The males die, the females lay their offspring in the tube, collect pollen and nectar, close the tube and then die too. Along the way, they do the important pollination. 🌻🌻🌻

[@richardlwellington]

That is cool and all but me personally I would not want them so close to my doorway. But hey each h to there own, right?

[@edibleacres]

You got it! They can certainly be happy *not* next to a doorway!

[@trumpetingangel]

How lovely to work with them humming along, coming and going! I didn't know mason bees were so non-threatening; good idea here!

[@edibleacres]

They really are delightful and mild

[@terrencegibbons3351]

Do you sell mason bee homes?

[@edibleacres]

We do not, folks can certainly make them for themselves very easily!

[@hollywells4149]

Hello - I live in Central Ohio, we have large black bees the hover and bore into wood structures, they are also called Carpenter Bees, looks like yours are different? Just wondering. Thanks, Holly

[@shotgunbettygaming]

They ARE different.

[@thelandofmint]

Thank you very much for sharing this. I'm certainly going to do that as I've seen them in the derelict house next to my house and I always worry the ignorant owner who lives in the city and comes from time to time to torment me and cut all the beautiful dandelions , would kill them by using an insecticide or some horrible stuff 😔. Ah, how I wish I'm your neighbour and that there are more people like you. 💚👏

[@edibleacres]

Hopefully they just leave them alone!

[@thelandofmint]

@@edibleacres hopefully 🤞

[@TheEmbrio]

A local company in France overengineered these types of bee houses, ven spacing and symmetrical shape...with a few strws being clear, for spying i guess. they’ll pickup the ’boxes and overwinther them for you or repopulate them if needed. Anyway i just had to laugh. I guess it can be educational or satsfy corporate offices or schools that don’t have very involved parents or teacher to undertake very basic upkeep.

[@edibleacres]

I tried making an 'update'... there was a video I put out about Mason Bee 2.0 or something silly, where I did holes drilled into wood slats, on and on... They didn't like it. They only really want the simple tubes, so simple tubes it is!

[@memiseburslem2559]

i have questions: do you clip wings? what exactly does on contour mean? are the small hoops metal or pvc pipe? do you have broody hens? let them set?

[@edibleacres]

I love to answer questions but make them one in a comment and on the relevant video :)

[@cannonsovercharged]

"Mason Bees" EdibleGuy and GregorioSachsogrammaticus: Don't Invade Don't Inspect Mate with each other Have a seemingly exciting moment, If you live vaguely in this region. Or even fancier if you want Hardware cloth is important to offer push them in or let them fall out they are lovely beings to be around bloom, in not too long a time I encourage you strongly. Thanks

[@gails8950]

I love this idea so much, I just ordered some tubes to hopefully keep a few bees around my area. I didn’t see many bees last year which may be why my raised beds didn’t produce much.