Welcome to Dee's Bees

Releasing your Bees

When temperature highs are above 50 degrees for several days, and your yard is preparing to bloom, open one end of the box and place the box in or attached to your nest.  Make sure there is moist clay/mud near by for the female to use to seal her egg chambers. Now, sit back and watch nature run its course.

Your Bee’s Personality

In our experience raising Mason Bees we have found that they are not aggressive.  We have not had them land on us or sting us.  The females do have stingers and can sting but rarely do.

Your Bee’s Appearance

Mason Bees are black or blueish black and look more like a fly than a bee so when you think you are swatting a fly you may be hitting a bee.

Pollinators

Mason Bees can pollinate about 100 times more than honeybees therefore, you don’t need a lot of bees to satisfy your pollinating needs.  Mason Bees will travel up to 100 yards pollinating all your flowers, fruit trees and vines.  Also, Mason Bees do not produce honey they simply live to pollinate and reproduce.

Nesting

If you are simply wanting to pollinate your yard you don’t need a large nest.  A six-inch tube will produce six to eight cocoons so for an average yard six to twelve tubes will produce plenty of cocoons annually to pollinate your yard year after year.  If you find you have more cocoons than you need, contact us and we can help.

Nest Location

It is best to place your nest on a structure, house, garden shed etc., in a sunny warm location protected from rain.  Mason Bees nests are interesting and fun to watch as the bees go about their daily routines.

Life Cycle

Cocoons will start to hatch when daily temperature highs get above 50 degrees.  The males emerge first with the females to follow.  When the females emerge they mate with the males. The males die leaving just females entering and leaving the nest.  By mid to late summer, depending on when you put your cocoons out, the females have laid all their eggs and die also.

Harvesting

If you put your cocoons out in early spring, March or April, your cocoons can be harvested by late June to mid July.  Be sure not to leave them out past mid to late October when the temperatures start to drop.  Remove the cocoons from the nesting tubes and wash in a solution of cold water and bleach.  Once clean and dry store in an appropriate storage container which can be purchased where you bought your nesting materials.  We store ours in a refrigerator, but they can be stored in a garden shed or other area where they will stay cool and dry but not freeze.  Be sure if using a wood nesting block to clean it thoroughly for next year’s use.  Watch the link video below for more detailed information.

Spring Release

Once day temperature highs can be above 50 degrees put your nest back in the same location as last year provided you had a successful harvest of cocoons.  If not, find a better location.  Make sure your wood nesting block is free from pests and debris or, if you are using nesting tubes, use new tubes every year.