A Mason Bee Teaching Story You'll Love!

Teaching Mason Bees Story by Thyra!

I teach thousands of gardeners and students every year, and I absolutely love introducing more people to these gentle little pollinators.

One of my teaching highlights this year was an 8th-grade science class. During my presentation, I pause and pass out cocoons so every student can hold a “baby bee” while I show videos of how mason bees emerge and explain their life cycle. Sometimes the students can even feel tiny vibrations or hear the soft crackling sound the bee makes as it begins chewing from the inside. (Don’t worry — they won’t emerge in their hands. It takes them a couple of hours to work their way out.)

Towards the end of my presentation, a student told me, “I think my bee is dead.”
When I asked why, he said he didn’t hear any movement.
Then I said, “Should we open it and see?”
The whole room erupted: What?! Really??
I said, “Yes!”
Oh my… all the kids were soooo excited and quickly gathered around the table as I snipped the tip of the cocoon. Bzzz, Bzzzz, Bzzz… I could feel that little bee buzzing with excitement to get out.
The kids squealed… “Can I hold it when it emerges?”
I let one of the students hold the cocoon in their hand, and everyone got to watch that little mason bee emerge. (see photo below)
The joy and excitement they all had was magical.
The little bee then left its scent mark on his hand, and I was able to teach them how male bees leave a scent mark when they emerge, as they recalled the picture I showed earlier.
Then, everyone else wanted to open their cocoons. I said we could open one more, but that they need to come out on their own terms when it’s time for them to. So we opened one more—with glee and excitement from the kids. Another “baby bee” emerged, and we all went outside… set up their bee house and bee block, took the tape off the tube, and placed the little bees in their new home.

I LOVE what I do. I love opening kids’ eyes to biology, research, science, and environmental stewardship—careers and curiosities they may have never considered. Getting them off screens and connected to nature is such a gift.

I get the same enthusiasm and excitement when I speak at Master Gardeners and Garden Clubs. A deeper connection and understanding of these gentle little pollinators and how to properly care for them.

I share this story because I love what I do. I love teaching and I love helping more people learn about mason bees.

That is why, I am beyond excited to announce the launch of our NEW Educator Resources Page and Mason Bee Education Kit! These are the same tools I use when teaching students and master gardeners. These teaching tools were created for teachers, gardeners, Master Gardeners, bee advocates, and even students working on pollination or mason bee science projects. Whether you’re educating a classroom, leading a workshop, or inspiring young learners, these resources make it easy to teach others about the importance of mason bees and our pollinators.
We are empowering even more educators with updated power point presentations (with guided speakers notes), K-12 lesson plans, mason bee journals, educational material, engagement tips and all of these are FREE!

Help me teach more people about mason bees.

Explore our new Educator Resources Page Click here to view our NEW page for Educators!

Thank you for helping us teach, inspire curiosity, and protect mason bees.
— Thyra