Bad rap from “MASON BEE” purveyors

There are many mason bee vendors who really know nothing about the bees and are looking to make a quick buck. It is all about marketing, and unfortunately many false claims are made. The primary mason bees sold in the U.S. are the blue orchard bee, Osmia lignaria, and the hornfaced bee, Osmia cornifrons, which is a Japanese species. Both of the species are active in the spring and are only around long enough to pollinate fruit trees. However, many people that sell these bees will tell you they pollinate strawberries, squash, raspberries, and even grapes, which of course are wind pollinated.

Another mason bee that has been marketed in the last couple of years is Osmia californica. It is advertised as a summer mason bee. The problem is, it won't touch the blossoms in your garden since it is not interested in them. If you happen to grow arrowleaf balsamroot then this bee will do a good job pollinating the flowers for you.

I've never seen an advertisement for a mason bee pollinator of blueberries but there are probably some out there.

Honey bees have been characterized in the media as exotic species. Until recently, many Americans had no idea that honey bees were not native to North America. Many mason bee suppliers have focused on this fact and now describe honey bees with terms like "introduced", "non-native", "European" , "foreign", etc. implying that they don't fit into the American ecosystem.

Dale

I have more mason bees in my area than I know what to do with. That's with at times 16 hives/nucs in the small back yard. They are on all flowers, many the honey bees don't touch, like petunias. I am sure some of them are actually bumble bees.

I hate the mason bees, they eat into the wood under my patio and my workshop. I try to keep them down using my racketball racket. It knocks the snot out of them. Sometimes they will go 10 - 15 feet. But even then you have to stomp on them or they will revive and high tail it back home......only to come back again.

My mom lives in Calhoun County, SC. I see very few bees there. In fact it's rare to see them. But they mason bees are everywhere. If it wasn't for the mason bees nothing would get pollinated in her garden and flower beds. My sister lives in Orangeburg, SC and I never see honey bees there either. But when the figs are getting ripe the mason/bumble bees are every where on open figs. Now if there were honey bees in the area they would bee there for the sweet fig juice/nectar.

Again on the downside, my dad built a shed on the side of his metal workshop many years ago. He used untreated wood. The bees have almost eaten completely through all of the supports which are 2X4s. If I can't get down to her this summer and tear down and replace with treated lumber I doubt it will last another year in places. I have seen mason bee traps advertised on Beesource. They are expensive but seem to be very affective. Might have to get one for her shed if I can't rework the shed this year.

A fews back I was going to use some of the lumber under the shed. Much of it was okay, but some was partially eaten up by the mason bees and others were devastated from the mason bees. It was amazing how far the bees would burrow through the middle of the 2X4s!! On several occasions I kept cutting the board every 4 to 6 inches and the tunnels would go for 2 to 3 feet. In some places the tunnels crossed. I guess from different bees.

A friend of mine just found this thread and alerted me to it.

Not all "mason bee purveyors" are run the same way. My company, Crown Bees, is an ethical company built to share only exact science and observations. Yes, we are a company that is supposed to bring in a profit, so we do sell bees, nesting material, houses, etc. HOWEVER, our purpose is to help people learn to raise mason bees successfully so that they can share their excess bees with friends/families.

There is more than one bee in the world. The honey bee is a wonderful and vital pollinator. Because they are social (the hive is active year round) and easily transported, they are an obvious choice for crops/orchards needing pollination. The honey bee is also going through some pretty wicked challenges right now. Mites, pesticides, CCD, virus, etc. Some key chemicals to combat mites are being pulled from the shelves... it's not a pretty world for the honey bee or their owners.

Solitary bees, though limited in availability, limited to a small flight radius, and don't provide honey, are excellent pollinators. Crown Bees is teaming with the science communities to help the backyard gardeners learn more about native solitary bees around them. There are 130+ species in north america. The spring bees (blue orchard and hornfaced) are excellent for orchards. The aglaia, (in Oregon & California) are excellent for berries. The leafcutters are excellent for crops and gardens. The californica is useless for most food crops unless you're a daisy seed grower. Each bee has their purpose and presence in our pollination needs.

I welcome all opinions, but do get frustrated that there's only one bee in the world. Open your eyes to your yard. If you don't have bees buzzing, then add more pollen/nectar sources. Learn to identify more than just the bumble or honey bees.

Big picture... from the scientists that i collaborate with, orchards in about 5 years may not have all of the hives they need to pollinate. Thus, a hundred acre orchard might only have 60 hives instead of 100. Solitary bees will have to fill in that gap. I'm not saying they're superior, I'm saying they will be necessary. Our goal is to help the backyard gardeners be so successful that their excess bees will be rounded up and used in regional orchards. The excess bees of Chicago & Detroit will head towards Wisconsin orchards. It's that serious.

I hope this helps you understand that not all companies are built the same. Ethics are important. Your success is equally important. The food chain is a complex pollination process that MUST have alternative solutions. I'm working on Plan Bee right now.