Name: Introduction to Solitary Bees
Uploaded: 2025-04-05T03:25:40.000Z
Duration: 5 min 19 s
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Did you know that there are over 4,000 different bee species in North America?

Most of these are gentle, solitary bees that nest in the ground or in tunnels.

And today we're going to talk to you a little bit about a very special group of native bees that include mason and leafcutter bees.

Mason bees and leafcutter bees are just a couple of examples.

These easy-to-care-for bees provide an indispensable service to the local ecosystems through pollination.

Native to North America and from the family Megachilidae, these bees have an effective pollination rate of 95%.

That means that 95 out of every 100 flowers each bee visits are pollinated properly to produce seeds and fruit.

European honeybees, though monumentally vital, have a 5% effective pollination rate.

Honeybees and other bees in the family Apidae carry pollen back to their nests in specialized structures on their back legs, commonly referred to as pollen baskets.

Megachilid bees carry pollen back to their nests on their hairy bodies like Velcro.

Mason bees have these hairs all over their bodies, while leafcutter bees carry pollen on their underbellies.

Pollen carried in this way is more likely to stick to the stigma of the next flower the bee lands on.

Along with this high quality of work comes an innate, steadfast determination and work ethic.

This means females must assume the roles of both queen and worker.

Each female gathers nectar and pollen to feed her young.

After returning to the nesting tunnel, she will groom pollen off her body and form it into a sticky ball with nectar.

She will then lay an egg on the provisioned food and seal the compartment inside the tunnel with nesting material.

She repeats this five to six times per tunnel.

Mason bees use mud to seal off the compartment, while leafcutter bees use cutouts of leaves or flower petals.

Leafcutter bees use their mandibles to cut circular pieces of plant material and carry it back to the nest.

The eggs hatch and larvae consume the pollen ball.

Then they pupate and emerge as adult bees in the following season.

If weather permits, leafcutter bees can actually have multiple generations per season.

Solitary tunnel nesting bees have a dormant stage during the winter.

For mason bees, this dormant phase is as an adult bee, enclosed within its cocoon.

Once temperatures warm to about 50 degrees, they are ready to chew through their cocoons, mate, and begin foraging for their young.

Mason bees are most active during the spring, which makes them champions of fruit tree pollination.

If you have apple, cherry, pear, peach, or nut trees, mason bees can greatly increase your yields.

They will also boost your berry production.

Leafcutter bees have a special overwintering stage called a pre-pupa.

They don't fully pupate until spring begins.

Adult bees emerge much later in the season when temperatures exceed 70 degrees Fahrenheit.

Adults specialize in pollinating alfalfa and summer vegetables like squash and peas.

The foraging radii for most solitary bees is around 300 feet or 90 meters from their nest.

This means that they tend to nest only in areas with abundant blooms in a relatively immediate vicinity.

Both of these bee species can cohabitate the same house, but will be active during different parts of the season.

They will also require different sized nesting holes.

Mason bees tend to do best with 8 millimeter tunnels, while most leafcutter bee species prefer 6 millimeter tunnels.

To maximize species richness and diversity, provide a wide assortment of tunnel sizes.

It is also a good idea to provide your bees with landmarks interspersed with the tubes to help females locate their tunnel.

That means rather than making their own holes to nest in, they actually inhabit natural reeds or holes abandoned by other animals or bees.

For instance, an aggregation of mason bee nests moved into one of our top bar hives.

The females use leftover comb as their nesting tunnels.

Once you begin this venture, your mason bee yields will increase year after year.

If you do not harvest and give away excess cocoons, or sell them to a mason bee buyback program, you will want to provide more nesting tunnels every year to support the increased population.

These bees are resourceful and they'll nest in about any hole they come across.

If extra tunnels are not available, you may find they feel right at home in any nook, cranny, or crevice in your house exterior.

In most regions of North America, mason bee season begins between late February and early April, while leafcutter bee season begins in July to August.

Check out weather patterns in your area to determine the best time to begin your gentlebee sanctuary.

Stay tuned for our next video where we'll cover how to start your own native bee house and best care practices.

And hit that subscribe button so you don't miss it.