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Mason Bee Questions
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Do Mason Bees make honey?
Mason bees do not make honey, but they are very efficient pollinators. Mason bees pollinate the first spring crops, and can carry a lot of pollen on their furry bodies.
Are Mason Bees beneficial?
Mason Bees are some of nature's most effective pollinators! Mason bees are incredibly furry, and have a row of hairs on their abdomen called scopa that help them gather pollen. They also do not clean themselves off between each flower, so more pollen
How do Mason Bees find their way back to their nests?
Once the female Mason Bee has located her new home, she will start to fly back and forth around the nest in increasingly wide and high patterns so she can memorize nearby landmarks. Once she has these landmarks memorized, she will search for pollen a
Are Mason Bees pollinators?
Mason Bees are very effective pollinators! They collect large amounts of pollen in a special apparatus called a scopa and pollen easily sticks to their fuzzy bodies. They also don't clean themselves off between flowers, resulting in more pollen being
What is a solitary bee?
A solitary bee is any type of bee where each female is fertile and capable of constructing a nest on their own. Unlike Honey Bees which construct large, elaborate nests and have a complex social structure, female Mason Bees live on their own and are
Do Mason Bees hibernate?
Mason bees spend the majority of their lives in their nesting chamber. The mother bee lays her egg inside a nesting cavity, with all the food the emerging larva will need. The larvae eats, grows, forms its cocoon, and develops into an adult. The adul
Why are Mason Bees important?
Mason bees are an important and effective pollinator, especially in early spring! These native bees carry pollen on their fuzzy bodies, and because they are solitary bees, the pollen is not shared with a colony. They also do not clean themselves in b
What is a scopa?
Female Mason Bees have a special adaptation of tiny hairs on their abdomen called a "scopa", and this helps them to be able to carry more pollen!
What is the Mason Bee life cycle?
Mason Bees begin life as an egg inside of an individual cell in a nest. Then, they emerge as a larva and begin to eat the pollen stored in the cell so they can grow into an adult bee. After reaching their maximum size, they enter a dormant pupal stag