49: All about Mason Bees

On this episode of the Green Meridian podcast, we learn about the busy Mason bee and how these beneficial insects can transform the vibrancy and health in your gardens and landscapes. We discuss how to introduce mason bees to your outdoor area - and how you can purchase, manage and nurture bee populations at your home or landscape project site.

We talk here with Dave Hunter, the founder of Crown Bees. You can learn more at Dave's website: https://crownbees.com/. Mason bees are solitary bees that are native to North America. They are excellent pollinators, and they are very easy to attract to your garden. Mason bees are very different from honey bees. Honey bees are social bees that live in colonies, while mason bees are solitary bees that live on their own. Mason bees are also much smaller than honey bees. They are about the size of a housefly, and they have black bodies with a blue or green sheen. Mason bees are important pollinators. They pollinate a wide variety of plants, including fruits, vegetables, and flowers. Mason bees are also very efficient pollinators. They can pollinate a plant in just a few seconds.

If you are interested in attracting mason bees to your garden, there are a few things you can do. 

• First, you need to provide them with a place to nest. You can do this by building a mason bee house. Mason bee houses are very simple to build, and there are many plans available online.
• Second, you need to provide mason bees with food. Mason bees eat pollen and nectar. You can provide them with food by planting a variety of flowers in your garden. Mason bees are especially attracted to blue and purple flowers.
• Finally, you need to provide mason bees with water. You can do this by placing a shallow dish of water in your garden. The dish should be filled with pebbles or marbles so that the bees can land on them.

Mason bees are one of our most important beneficial insects. Excellent pollinators, they are very easy to attract to your garden. 

If you are interested in learning more about mason bees, have a listen!.

Also check out these busy bee resources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mason_bee

https://crownbees.com/pages/mason-bee-characteristics-and-identification

https://thebeeconservancy.org/

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