One can, a bunch of bamboo and one home for your mason orchard bees
How to Build a Mason Orchard Bee Nest, House
I discovered the benefits of Mason Orchard Bees years ago when I stumbled upon Brian Griffin of Knox Cellars at the Washington State Flower and Garden Show. He was selling bee starter kits and generously sharing his keen knowledge of this unsung native pollinator. In the cool, wet springs (two adjectives also suited for fall and winter) of the Maritime Northwest, Mason Orchard bees are little pollinating powerhouses at a time when honey and bumble bees are holed up in their hives. As grateful as I am to these solitary, gentle critters, there have been some years when I’ve had to take matters into my own hands and pollinate by hand. (And yes, I do look relatively ridiculous, paint brush in hand.)
Over the years, I’ve created my own Mason Orchard Bee boxes out of found materials, everything from paper straws in milk cartons to blocks of fir drilled with 5/16 inch holes to accommodate the bee larva. My latest bee house design is basically free to make and calls on tin cans and hollow sticks to do the job.
You’ll need:
- Tall tin can
- Bamboo (cut into small tubes)
- One screw
Assembly is a cinch. I usually wash out an empty can Bush’s Baked Beans (a staple here and unfortunate favorite of Boz and Gracie). I then drill a small hole in the bottom of the can and tighten one screw through it so the can is perpendicular to an exterior wall. It’s best placed under a sheltered eave. Mine are attached to my barn and chicken coop.
When the can is secure, I fill the can with bamboo cut into even tubes not to exceed the end of the can. You want them to stay dry as possible. Shoot for bamboo with hollow cores around 5/16 inch diameter. Tah dah, you’re done. The bees pollinate for a short but important time in early spring and then lay eggs in the tube that will hatch next spring as whole new generation of welcomed pollinators.
Update: This photo was taken a year later, after native mason orchard bees moved in. Note the capped mud ends on the bamboo tubes. The ‘nests’ are placed under the eaves of my chicken coop for a little weather protection.
Mason and Native Bee related links:
- Washington State University Mason Bee Fact Sheet and links
- NC State: How to raise and manage Mason Orchard Bees
- Grit Magazine: Native Bees in America
- ATTRA: Alternate Pollinators Native Bees
- Western Cascade Fruit Club: dado version bee box
What I was blogging about a year ago: How to Plant a Bareroot Tree
I love your idea! Even I can do it. Getting the bamboo will save me having to go to Mickey D’s and stealing milkshake straws.
Wow, that’s cool. I’ve learned something today.
Tom – did I read correctly (in one of your comments on Bitten’s blog) that your bees have diseappered?
Yep Sylvie, my honeybees disappeared in late winter, and then a new hive moved in in late spring after stealing residual honey for a week or so.
[…] one year ago: Violets: Sweet Scent of Spring’s Arrival, Baked Beans, Bamboo and Bees […]
Hi just thinking what an ace idea recycling the cans, I use cut off lenghs of downpipe with the back seaked with a coffee jar top or similar and filled with cut up bamboo. Have a good community of bees but have a wasp problem too. I’m going to try your idea with the can. Great stuff.
Thanks Paula, I think the downspout is a clever idea as well. For me though, I always have an abundance of cans from baked beans (said the lazy cook). 😉
[…] There are many different types of bee homes. Here is an instructional video and written directions on how to build one type. Or, for an even easier way: baked beans, bamboo and bees. […]
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Hey Tom, I have a question. In your directions, you say to fill the can with bamboo cut into even tubes not to exceed the end of the can. But the picture shows the bamboo extending beyond the can. Which did you find to be more effective or does it matter? Thanks
Hi Denise, I tried both ways and it didn’t see to matter as they were protected under my chicken coop overhang. But if out in the elements I would set them back about an inch to protect from rain and snow.
Beautiful Tom! I love the rusted patina of the cans too, very rustic!
Hi. I am in Orlando Florida, and we don’t have a winter for the bees to hibernate. I do have fresh cut bamboo. Should I refrigerate the bamboo that has bee cocoons in it over the warm winter. Should I wash it first, to make sure there is no mites on outer side? I have room in a garage fridge drawer. I just discovered your site and am enjoying it! Hope you can help! Lisa
Lisa from what I understand, mason bees are in all 50 states, so you should have them in Florida. I would just put up the bee houses and see what happens. It took a year to see mine at full occupancy but it’s been worth the wait. Once they arrive, you can add more bee houses and really ramp up the pollinator population. I’ve never cleaned my bamboo and have not had any problem with mites.
Good luck!
Lisa, I live east of you near Cocoa, Florida. I’d like to setup a mason bee habitat this year and then a honeybee hive a few years after. If you have started with mason bees, I’d really appreciate any personal knowledge you have gained or any online resources that are relevant to Central Florida.
Thank you.
Hi there. It is interesting you said about not cleaning your bamboo tubes.
I have just started using bamboo after thinking, that in the wild, these bees do not have anyone to clean the holes they choose to use !
Hi Paul, yep that’s what I figured, in nature it seems to work just fine. 😉
Hi Tom, thanks for your quick reply.
I started last year with some small bore plastic water pipe with paper liners.
My Son also got Me a bee house with routed holes in which leaf cutter bees nested in. ( this got Me interested )
The plastic pipes were over 10″ deep.
On opening the paper liners I found that the Bees ( Mason Bees )had not used the full depth of the bore. I think I have read online that 5-7″ is about right for the bore depth, what is your opinion on this ? I have about 50 cocoons in a release box waiting near the bamboo and plastic tubes.
I am waiting to see which the Bees prefer, I will keep you posted.
Regards Paul.
Hi Tom…How do you get the right size bamboo? Bamboo branches/trunks taper so I’d think there would only be a certain section that was the right size. Are you cutting them from some homegrown bamboo, or just buying the pieces somewhere? Down here in the Los Angeles area, I’m not sure where to find bamboo inexpensively. I do know where there is some giant bamboo growing, but even the young trunks are too large. Is there a particular variety that grows at the right size?
Hi John, The variety is a bamboo in the genus Fargesia; it’s a clumping thin-stalked grower. Examples here: http://www.bamboo.org/wp/nec/2011/09/24/non-invasive-cold-hardy-clumping-bamboos-the-genus-fargesia/
You could also use paper straws or there’s another plant which seems to grow in every state, the common reed: http://www.nps.gov/plants/alien/pubs/midatlantic/phau.htm. I’ve found that the mason bees aren’t too picky, so holes of 5/16″ or a little larger, or smaller all seem to work. Good luck!
Wow! I really like your mason orchard bees house ideas. I find it is really useful for me. Thank you so much for sharing. I will suggest your ideas to my friends. Hope more people will appreciate your posts.
Thanks Watson, appreciate the kind feedback. Here’s to more bees!
Hi Tom,
You mention that the bamboo has to be 5/16″ inch hollow core – do you mean that the hole has to be 5/16″ or that the bamboo itself should be 5/16″ total diameter?
Hi Dale, the opening should be around 5/16″ but really I’ve found the bees adapt to smaller and larger openings, but I would gauge it on the closest to 5/16″ as ideal.