Window Box Gardening

Increase Your Fruit Harvest with our Mason Bee Nest Kits!  Bees are vital to American agriculture, and the more pollinator-friendly locations we have, the more likely we are able to retain bee species and provide the pollination needed for our gardens, fruit trees, and other Spring flowering fruits and ornamentals.   Honeybees, a non-native species from Europe, are the pollinators of choice in American agriculture, but the decline in honeybees has generated an interest in finding new ways to boost the bee population.

 If you have ever considered bee keeping for pollination purposes, our native Mason bees are the perfect choice.  In the wild, Masons build their mud-sealed nests in natural tubes like reeds or holes in dead trees.   You have probably seen these mud homes built  in various places around your property.   It only takes 250-750 Orchard Mason bees to pollinate an acre of apples vs 60,000-120,000 honeybees to do the same job.  Though they won’t give you honey, they won’t ever chase or sting you either (unless severely provoked). 

The U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends providing 6″paper-lined tubes 5/16″ in diameter, somewhat weatherproof, and contained in a protective shelter.  That’s where our Mason Bee Nest Kits come in.  Each kit is housed in a sturdy 6 1/2″ long PVC tube.  The Kraft paper nest tubes have acetate wrap for strength and moisture protection and are 5/16″ in diameter x 6″ long.   Just position Nest Kits 6 to 8 ft. high, firm and level, in a sheltered sunny spot facing East or South where they won’t be disturbed.   Each kit comes with it’s own instructions and information on raising Mason bees.