Creatures Around The Lake May 2025

 The mason bee is named for its habit of using mud, or other "masonry" products in constructing their nests.  Usually they nest in naturally occurring gaps- like cracks in rocks, hollow stems, small dark cavities, etc.  They are generally considered docile and good to have around because they are extra effective pollinators.  These are solitary bees, meaning they don't live in colonies and each female builds her own nest.


The mason bee is known to work in cooler and wetter conditions than honey bees. While honey bees collect pollen in their leg sacs and clean the pollen off their body often, the mason bee has abdominal hairs that pollen collects on, and they don't clean it off as often. Hence, the they tend to be the more proficient pollinator.

You can provide mason bees with nesting sites like bee houses, or wood with holes drilled in about 4 inches.  Place them in a sunny, south facing part of your yard.  It can take a while for these bees to find your nesting sites, but if you'd like them to move in more quickly, you can purchase cocoons online, or in some local nurseries for faster success.

Susan Derge

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