If you're looking for a charming way to support bees this spring, then I urge you to consider adding a mason bee house to your yard. It's similar to a bug hotel, with lots of cavities for bees to seek refuge in. The best part? It looks adorable and will boost pollination in your garden.
Just like bug hotels, which support a wide range of insects, mason bee houses provide a safe spot for cavity-nesting bees (which includes leaf-cutter bees) to lay eggs. This Amazon mason bee house has caught my attention because it has a large capacity and is shaped like a hexagonal honeycomb segment, which is a beautiful touch.
As cavity-nesting bees don't dig their own nests and rather seek existing nooks, this is an invaluable addition to the yard for them. In return, they'll help maintain a rich biodiversity in your garden. Reading the reviews of those who already have it, it appears to serve its purpose: '[the] bees moved in quickly after setting this outside,' one person shares.
This mason bee house in constructed from wood and sealed with wax for many years of use and durability in adverse weather. It comes fully built, ready to hang up with the included string. It's in a beautiful hexagonal shape, reminiscent of honeycomb.
Why Get a Mason Bee House?
Despite their name, mason bee houses support more types of bees than just masons. Most notably, leafcutter bees also seek refuge in cavities.
As we tackle our spring gardening checklist and remove dead plants, hollow stems are removed. This reduces the number of natural nesting spots for cavity-nesting bees.
Mason bee houses provide artificial cavities for these solitary beneficial insects year-round, with lots of hollow tubes for them to nest in and lay their eggs.
It's important to provide this habitat for mason and leafcutter bees because they're incredibly efficient pollinators. Having a mason bee house in your garden boosts bee populations and ensures pollination in your yard.
In fact, a single female mason bee is thought to do the same pollination work as over 100 honeybees, so they're invaluable to encourage to the garden.
Why Shoppers Love It
Shoppers of the Amazon mason bee house express just how much they adore it in the reviews.
'The quality of this bee house if amazing. It is sealed in bees wax and is well made of natural wood, so the appearance is aesthetically pleasing,' one five-star reviewer describes.
These natural materials make the bee house easy to slot into your yard's landscape. The fact it's sealed by wax also makes it much more durable in adverse weather. Plus, the bees won't be exposed to any harmful chemicals when using it.
The tubes inside the bee house also keep bee health a priority:
'The easily-replaceable paper tubes are important since keeping tubes around year after year can cause disease outbreaks in the bee box,' one shopper describes.
'So you want to buy new tubes yearly, which are very inexpensive. That's what makes this type of bee box so much better than the permanent bamboo ones, which at a minimum need to be cleaned and decontaminated every year,' they explain.
You can find bee house paper tubes on Amazon to refresh your mason bee house when it needs a clean.
It's also very easy to install, thanks to the attached string. 'Take it out of the box and hang it,' one reviewer describes.
It's best to place this bee hotel somewhere visible, not blocked by vegetation. You could hang it a wall, with bee-friendly plants growing below to create the ultimate safe haven for them. Try scattering this pack of pollinator wildflower seeds from Burpee.
It's difficult to find a downside to this Amazon mason bee house. It provides a safe nesting spot for important pollinators, looks attractive, and is made to last for many years.
Perhaps the only point to mention is that it is over $20 and it's cheaper to actually make a bee hotel using materials in your yard.
Nevertheless, if you're not looking for a DIY, want a professional finish, or want to gift something to the garden-lover in your life, then this is an excellent pick.
What to Shop
This mason bee house has many cavities of different sizes for beneficial insects to use. It's constructed of wood and sealed with wax for long-lasting use.
These mason bee tubes can be used to replace used ones in mason bee houses. Refreshing them provides a clean nesting space for bees, reducing the spread of diseases.
This pack of wildflower seeds is full of 19 different varieties that bees love. It includes both annual and perennial nectar-rich blooms.
Other ways to bring more bees to your yard is by planting the flower colors bees are most attracted to. This includes purple, blue, and yellow. Lavender (like these starter plants from Walmart) is a great pick, guaranteed to have bees buzzing around it all summer long.
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