blue orchard mason bees

by Judy Beaudette Few strategies for keeping our environment healthy are as interesting, simple and fun as raising mason bees, tiny insects that are gaining popularity with gardeners and farmers...

National Pollinator Week Day 3 is all about Mason Bees, a native species of bee in the Osmia genus and the Megachilidae family. Blue orchard bees are also a

Honeybees may be cute, popular and extra fuzzy, but the real proboscis behind most of our region’s fruit crops is a completely different arthropod: the blue orchard mason bee (Osmia lignaria). Why Choose Mason Bees? Native to North America, mason bees get their common name from their habit of patching up naturally occurring holes with mud to make nests. While they are

Honeybees get a lot of limelight. And they deserve it. Those hardworking fuzzy insects pollinate our fruit and vegetable flowers and, as if that wasn’t good enough, also make honey. But there are o…

This page shows photos of the Metallic Blue Mason Bee,(Osmia lignaria) foraging and full of pollen on yellow cosmos flowers.

A new study suggests that lots of people care about bee health, but most don't know anything about the insects themselves.

The Mason Bee with beautiful jewel tones Most gardeners don't realize the vast number of bee species there are. I have provided housing for our Oregon Native*, the Mason Bee. I observe, with fascination the comings and goings of my little, stingless friends, as they flit among my flowers, creating a beautiful abundance of flowers and vegetables. Mason bees are solitary bees that typically use tubes, reeds, and holes in wood for their nesting sites. Each female is a queen and will lay her egg…

We found this native bee 🐝 house at costco and have already had a blue orchard mason bee visit and start getting it ready for her eggs. ...

Galveston county Texas