Everything You Need to Know About Mason Bee Houses
While honeybees tend to be the real stars of beekeeping, mason bees are also a great bee to raise. Mason bees do not produce honey, but they are great pollinators and are very easy to care for. This article will discuss the differences between mason bees and honey bees, the benefits of mason bees, and compare a few mason bee hives for sale.
What is a Mason Bee?
Mason bees are named because they use mud and masonry to build their nests. They typically like nesting in small, dark spaces, such as cracks in the wall, or hollowed out tubes.
The biggest difference between mason bees and honey bees is that mason bees are solitary. Mason bees do not live in a hive and each female is fertile. She builds her own nest and gathers her own food.
After mating, the female begins collecting pollen and nectar. She takes it back to her nesting site and lays an egg. Then she builds a wall of mud, closing the egg in. The female continues this process several times until the tube is filled. She will then plug the tube with mud and nest elsewhere.
Because mason bees are solitary, they do not produce honey or beeswax. However, mason bees are very gentle and rarely ever sting.
Benefits of Mason Bees
Mason Bees are great pollinators. They do exceptionally well pollinating spring flowering fruit, berries, and nuts. They also visit a wide variety of flowers, making them expert cross pollinators. Just 2 mason bees are needed to pollinate an entire apple tree.
They are so docile that you can be around them without fear of getting stung. No bee suits or protective gear needed here! Mason bees are also considered to be hardier than honey bees. They are less susceptible to disease and are immune to varroa mites.
Raising mason bees requires very little equipment compared to honey bees. All you need is a simple bee house and nesting tubes. Once that is set up you can wait for bees to come, or buy mason bee cocoons. Mason bee hives for sale are usually bought online.
Mason Bee Hives for Sale
| Title | Features | Buy | |
|---|---|---|---|
  | Hexagon Mason Bee House | -Made of solid pine -Includes 90 nesting tubes | Click Here |
  | Cestari Mason Bee House | -Comes in 4 colors – green, blue, grey, and pink -Contains 75 bamboo tubes | Click Here |
  | Welliver Mason Bee House | -Strong and sturdy -Contains removable cardboard nesting tubes | Click Here |
  | Wildlife World Interactive Wooden Bee House | -Pre drilled holes -Can open stacking trays to see inside | Click Here |
  | Wax Coated Mason Bee House | -Removable cardboard tubes and predrilled holes -Wax coated wood is waterproof | Click Here |
Hexagon Mason Bee House
Specifications
- Measurements 8″D x 8″W x 4″H, Weighs 2.6 lbs
- Made from pine wood
Information
This mason bee hive for sale is a good, simple, and affordable choice. It is quick and easy to hang and would work best in a sheltered area, protected from wind and rain. This mason bee house is quite durable and the body can last a long time. The nesting tubes are bamboo, so they would need to be cleaned or replaced each season.
- Sturdy Mason Bee Hotel attracts and protect mason bees, butterflies and ladybugs to live in your garden, making your garden more productive,
- Mason Bee Hives comes with about 90 nesting tubes + hanging rope and Metal wall buckle.
- Gives a safe environment for native pollinator bees and enhance productivity of pollination.
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Cestari Mason Bee House
Specifications
- Hand crafted from FSC certified pine wood
- 75 bamboo tubes
- Comes in 4 colors – green, blue, grey, and pink
Information
This mason bee house is made by Cestari Bee Houses. It is really attractive looking and would be a nice decorative touch to a garden. Hand crafted from pine wood, this bee house is sturdy and durable. It houses approximately 75 bamboo tubes that are 4 inches long – sufficient depth for mason bees to lay their eggs.
The overlapping roof protects bee nests from wind and rain. I really like the design of this mason bee hive and the fact that it comes in multiple colors.
- Designed specifically for 140 species, including mason bees and orchard bees
- Nesting tubes of varying diameters, from large to small, which attract different species of bees.
- These bee hotels are hand crafted from FSC certified wood, and each tube in the mason bees house is cut from long-lasting sustainable bamboo to provide a hanging bee pollinator house that is not only bee friendly, but environmentally friendly as we
Welliver Outdoors Standard Mason Bee House
Specifications
- Removable paper tubes
- Made of cedar wood
Information
The biggest difference between the Welliver mason bee house and the previous two are that this one makes use of paper tubes instead of bamboo. The paper tubes are thought to be more sanitary than bamboo because they can be fully replaced after a season or two. Replacing the tubes regularly prevents parasite infestation in the hive.
This hive contains 86 paper tubes, measuring nearly 6 inches long. The wooden house structure is thick and sturdy. This mason bee house for sale does not include anything to hang it, so it would have to be placed on something, or you can attach a hook on your own.
- Thick and sturdy structure
- Contains removable cardboard tubes
- Nesting tubes are 6 inches l
Wildlife World Interactive Bee House
Specifications
- Fully removable inspection trays for easy viewing
- Constructed from FSC certified sustainable timber
- Supplied to top wildlife conservation organizations
Information
This is a really interesting mason bee hive for sale because it is designed in a way that allows you to observe the bee nests. Not only does this hive attract mason bees, it also attracts other solitary bees such as the leafcutter bee.
The trays come apart easily, allowing you to inspect or clean them out. This is a great hive that can be used for both education and entertainment. The construction is solid and durable. Wildlife World is committed to keeping to a high environmental standards, so recycled materials are used when possible.
- This bee habitat has pre-drilled holes to safely attract many nesting bee species
- Stacking trays can be opened and examined The lid opens so you can see inside
- Mason bees are friendly, industrious, and non-aggressive wild bees They enhance the productivity of your yard
- Charming, attractive house design looks great in the garden and can be mounted on a wall or a fe
Summary
Mason bees are a power pollinator. Because they are solitary, mason bees are easier and cheaper to raise than honey bees. There are several different mason bee hives for sale with different features. No matter which one you choose, I’m sure you’ll enjoy watching them at your home.
