What key items does my yard need for success with mason bees?
Moist clay soil
The female bee needs access to moist clay to build the chamber walls in the nesting hole. Soil or mud that is too sandy is not suitable because it will crumble. If your soil is not naturally high in clay, you can set out a container or small pile of mud that is high in clay. Wet one side of the pile to create mud that ranges in moisture from dry to very wet. The mason bees will choose the mud with the right moisture level.
If clay mud is not available, then mason bees will not use the nesting site you have provided.
Spring flowering plants close to nesting site
Adult mason bees are active from March through May or mid-June. Plant your garden so there are continuous blooms through the bees’ active season. Try to offer more native flowers and shrubs than showy hybrid or nonnative, double-blossom flowers—they may not provide adequate nutrition for bees.
Mason bees prefer to feed on nectar and collect pollen from fruit trees like apple, cherry, and pear. They also forage on dandelions and Oregon grape. Unlike honey bees, which can travel many miles, mason bees generally travel only short distances from their nesting site for nectar sources (around 200 to 300 feet is normal). So, proper placement of nesting sites is important. If adequate nectar and pollen sources are not available, mason bees will not use the nesting site you have provided.
Desirable nesting sites
Mason bees build their nests in crevices on siding, tunnels in wood bored by other insects, and other holes that are just wider than their body and long enough for one or more egg chambers. Each species of mason bee shows a preference for specific nesting materials and dimensions. Even though they don’t nest in a communal hive, mason bees are gregarious (like to live close together), so the nesting holes can be close together. Gardeners can create the preferred nesting conditions for O. lignaria by providing nesting tubes or laminated blocks in protective “houses.” There are many designs available, and the aesthetic quality is up to the person providing them. But, there are minimum requirements for mason bees.
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