A -🐝- Cs of Raising Bees

Solitary cavity-nesting bees have no need to defend hives or honey, which makes them gentle enough to hold them in the palm of your hand! And, they are are easy to raise. Just set out a bee house with nesting holes that can be opened (like natural reeds), and the bees will find them.

Female spring Mason bees will build a nest, collect pollen and nectar, then lay eggs; all within six weeks in spring. The eggs laid this year will become next year's adult bees. Summer Leaf bees are active from May through September.

Super Cross-Pollinators

Solitary bees carry dry, loose pollen on Scopa hairs on the underside of their bellies. The pollen sticks to their bodies like Velcro and is more falls off as they belly flop from flower to flower—contributing two to three times the pollination of a Honey bee.

Prepare Your Backyard or Patio

Create a welcoming habitat by providing nesting sites and a variety of blooming flowers. Place mixed sizes of nesting tubes in your bee house and see what bees might be in your yard. These tubes can either be natural reeds or cardboard tubes with inserts; as these can be easily opened for harvesting.

Invest in a quality cedar bee house, designed specifically for solitary cavity-nesting bees. Install it in your garden, patio, or on your balcony; and watch as these gentle bees make themselves at home.

Start Small?

We suggest the following products by Crown Bees:

• Cabana Bee House 
• Spring Natural Reeds
• Mason Bee Mud Mix

Start Off on the Best Foot

• Give your Mason or Summer Leaf bees extra incentive to stay and nest with InvitaBee™:  It's sort of like the warm chocolate chip cookie left on your pillow at your favorite hotel. You don't want to leave—ever!
• Protect your bees and cocoons from hungry birds with a BirdGuard™. 
• Solitary bees use visual cues to find their nests. Help them find their way home with Bee Wayfinders for Mason bees.