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Largest Solitary Mason Bee Program in the U.S. Prepares & Cleans 3 Million Mason Bees for Spring 2026
BOTHELL, Wash., Oct. 22, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- As pollinator populations continue to decline, Rent Mason Bees is leading a nationwide effort to educate and empower people to properly care for mason bees and teach the public how to support their own backyard bee habitats. As part of this mission, the company will clean more than three million mason bee cocoons for the 2026 spring season, making it the largest solitary-bee rental and conservation program in the United States.
WHY CLEAN?
Hidden predators like pollen mites, Houdini flies, and chalkbrood linger inside nests, emerging in spring and harming future generations of bees. Proper cleaning removes these threats, ensuring every cocoon is healthy, parasite-free, and ready to pollinate when released in spring. Rent Mason Bees meticulously cleans, inspects, and stores every cocoon over winter to ensure that healthy, predator-free bees are shipped to home gardeners, farms, and educational programs across the country.
"Predators are on the rise, and if you have a mason bee hotel, it's essential to take care of your bees," said Thyra McKelvie, of Rent Mason Bees. "They're the sweetest bees—non-aggressive, incredible pollinators, and completely safe around kids and pets. With proper care and seasonal maintenance, we can help them thrive and protect the next generation of bees."
3 Steps to Create a Healthy Habitat
- Place clean nesting material out in spring. Bees emerge when temperatures reach about 55°F.
- Do not leave nesting material out year-round. Remove it at the end of spring—mason bees only live 6–8 weeks.
- Clean in the fall. This crucial step removes predators and protects the next generation of bees.
Bees That Work for You and the Planet
Unlike social honeybees, solitary mason bees live independently. Each female lays her own eggs, finds her own nesting site, and gathers food for each egg. With no queen, they are non-aggressive and do not sting. Mason bees are remarkably effective, pollinating up to 95% of the flowers they visit compared to 5% for honeybees. Their unique "belly-flopping" technique covers their entire body in loose pollen, allowing them to sprinkle it onto blooms and dramatically increase fruit and flower yield.
How the Rental Program Works
Bee hosts release bees into their yards and rent the nesting materials. Depending on their lifestyle, hosts can choose to RENT, returning their nesting blocks for professional cleaning, or OWN, taking care of cleaning and winter storage themselves.
"Our rental program makes it easy for anyone to help pollinators," added McKelvie. "Whether you rent or own, you can enjoy hosting bees that pollinate your yard while making a real difference for the environment. Together, we're building a nationwide community of bee hosts protecting solitary bees."
Rent Mason Bees is a Bothell-based organization dedicated to pollinator conservation through education, accessibility, and hands-on action.
Watch How Rent Mason Bee Cleans:
| If You Own a Bee Hotel: Learn How to Clean & Care for Your Bees If you have a bee hotel in your yard, you can take simple but important steps to properly care for your mason bees and protect future generations. 3 Steps to Create a Healthy Habitat Place clean nesting material out in spring. Bees emerge when temperatures reach about 55°F. Do not leave nesting material out year-round. Remove it at the end of spring—mason bees only live 6–8 weeks. Clean in the fall. This crucial step removes predators and protects the next generation of bees. Now is the perfect time to clean! Watch our step-by-step video to learn how How Our Rental Program Works Bee hosts release bees into their yards and rent the nesting materials. Depending on your lifestyle, you can choose to RENT —returning your nesting blocks for us to clean—or OWN , taking care of cleaning and winter storage yourself. Every host—like you—is part of a growing network of citizen scientists working to protect solitary bees and restore balance to our ecosystems. Thank You for Joining Our Mission and Making an Impact! Your participation makes this nationwide effort possible. Each nesting block, each cocoon, and each new host helps protect future generations of pollinators. |
