Just a reminder- these bees DON’T produce honey. Orchard Mason Bees – are common throughout North America. They are called by different names such as the blue orchard mason bee. The mason bee can do the job of 100 honeybees. There are two main reasons for this: First, the orchard mason bee does not tuck the pollen tightly under the hairs on her legs. The mason bee does not have the barbs on the hair to keep the pollen from falling off from flower to flower. Second, the mason bee lands directly on the female receptacle of the flower, thus, the pollen is transferred at a higher rate to produce fruit.

The articles reference dead trees with holes from beetles or wood peckers. Cracks in wood from sheds and reeds from the wetlands are also mentioned. There are commercial paper tubes that are available as well, I have some of these. Here, I took some reeds from the local wetland. These reeds are from an inva- sive grass called phragmites. I first use a drill bit that is about 12 inches long with a diameter of 5/16ths of an inch. This is the preferred size for the width of the mason bees body. I use this bit to find reeds with the correct hole opening.

I then cut the reeds with a Dremel cutting wheel so I won’t crush the reed. The cut is on the back side of the leaf node. This allows for the reed to be bloc- ked off from the back side. The final length of the reed is 6 inches. I then use the drill bit to hone out the inside of the reed to make sure there is nothing inside allowing the bee to get stuck. Don’t use reeds that are split or cracked. This will allow mites and other insects or parasitic bugs/wasps to gain access and possibly destroy next years brood.