Becoming a mason bee keeper

I’m often surprised when I mention our mason bees to friends and family members, and they look at me blankly and ask, “What are mason bees?”

Unlike honeybees, mason bees don’t produce honey, and they rarely sting.* But they are amazing pollinators, making them an important part of our ecosystem.

Pollination is the transfer of pollen from one flower to another, which enables plants to reproduce. Flowers that are visited more often by bees will produce larger and better fruit. Some crops, such as blueberries and cherries, are 90 percent dependent on bee…