BEES: FRIENDLY LITTLE POLLINTORS SPREAD JOY, BEAUTY IN GARDENS AND BEYOND

NANCY THOMPSON | Bracebridge Horticultural Society

Honeybee hives are under increasing destruction and stress from pests and diseases, pesticides and herbicides, genetically modified crops and lack of diversity, habitat loss and climate change.

Native bees, of which there are more than 4,000 species in North America, are less susceptible to problems.

Fortunately for us they are great pollinators. Unfortunately, native bees don’t make honey.

Mason bees (genus Osmia), a little smaller than a honeybee, are a common type of native bee here. They get their name from their habit of nest-building, which is to seal off the cells where they lay their eggs, with a mortar-like application of mud.

There are about 140 species of mason bees in Canada. All are solitary bees. They are an ideal neighbour for the home gardener as males do not have a stinger, and the females will only sting if trapped.

Mason bees are unable to excavate their own nesting cavities. In the wild, they lay their eggs in insect holes and hollow stems, but they will use home made bee houses, if available.

Female mason bees emerge in early spring and immediately begin to forage for pollen and nectar. They pack this food into the far end of the nesting cavity until she decides there’s enough to feed a young bee. Then she lays an egg and seals up the cell. This process continues for 4 to 6 weeks until the bee has filled the entire chamber with a series of pollen/nectar/egg cells. The eggs that are to be female are always deposited at the back of the nesting chamber; so, the male bees will emerge first.

Mason bee larvae hatch in a few days. They eat the food, pupate and spin a cocoon to come out when the weather warms in the spring.

Mason bees are some of the world’s best pollinators.

You can help them help us by taking care of them.