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You don't need to be a beekeeper to host solitary bees. There's no hive, no honey and no queen to manage. Simply provide a bee house, clean nesting material and nearby flowers, and your bees do the rest.
We send you bees before they emerge. Mason bees arrive hibernating safely inside their cocoons, while leafcutter bees arrive in the larval stage, snug inside their protective leaf cells.
Place them in your bee house at the right time, and when temperatures are warm enough, they emerge naturally and get to work.
No handling flying bees. Just set them out and let nature do the rest.
Because they're incredible pollinators. Mason bees work in spring, pollinating fruit trees, berries and early blooms, while leafcutter bees take over in summer to pollinate vegetable gardens, flowers and summer blooms.
Host one or both for powerful pollination throughout the growing season.
Mason and leafcutter bees belly-flop onto flowers and gather loose pollen on their body hairs. This enables them to easily spread the loose pollen from flower to flower as they forage.
They can pollinate up to 95% of the flowers they visit, compared with about 5% for honeybees.
More pollination means more fruit, more vegetables and a more productive garden.
Mason and leafcutter bees are gentle, solitary bees with no hive or queen to defend. You can stand right next to their bee house and watch them work without them bothering you. Each female simply goes about her day collecting pollen and building her own nest. Perfect for backyards, gardens and families who want to experience bees up close.
Whether you want us to handle the end-of-season care or you want to do it yourself, we make it easy to host solitary bees.
Release your bees, enjoy the pollination and return your nesting block to us at the end of the season. We harvest and clean the cocoons, remove predators, clean the nesting block and care for the bees through winter.
Release → pollinate → return
Want to care for your own bees? Choose nesting materials you can open, then harvest, inspect and clean your cocoons yourself in the fall. We'll provide the education and resources to help you through the process.
Release → pollinate → clean → keep
Spring
Hang the house on a flat wall, fence or post, not a tree, about 5–6 feet off the ground. Choose a south-facing location with morning through afternoon sun. The house hangs from a single hook at a slight angle, allowing rain to run off naturally.
Spring
Your mason bees arrive as cocoons inside a white PVC emergence tube. When spring blooms are open and daytime temperatures are around 55°F, remove the tape from one end cap and place the tube inside your bee house. The bees will emerge from their cocoons and crawl out through the opening. Leave the tube in the house for the season.
Early Summer
Mason bees only live 6-8 weeks. When bee activity stops, remove the nesting block from the black house, but don't mail it back yet. The developing larvae are fragile and need time to mature. Store the block in a garage or shed with the nesting holes facing up. The shipping box your bees arrived in works great for storage.
September
Keep the black house for next season. Pack the nesting block securely with newspaper so it doesn't shift during shipping, and place your name inside the box. Attach the provided return label and send the nesting block back to us.
Kits Include Everything You Need to Host Bees
Spring
For spring pollination.
$85
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Spring + Summer
For spring + summer pollination.
$110
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Bees
Bees only. No house.
$50
Add to cart
Spring
Best for Orchards
$120
Add to cart