In Lieu Of Beehive

I had wanted to start beekeeping this year but because I had been busy setting up the rest of the garden, by the time I wanted to get to it, it was too late. I will probably start next year, if time and finances allow.

In any case, pollinators are important, and they need somewhere to stay. Native mason bees help pollinate just as well, if not better than honeybees–but they don’t produce honey. Native mason bees are so named for their use of mud to construct their homes—masonry products if you will. While they wouldn’t normally be using a constructed bee hotel like this, many species, when available, love empty straws and tubes. The females, which construct these nests, go around collecting nectar and pollen for her offspring, her boon being sealed in with them so that they can grow sheltered in the nest. They are solitary bees and therefore don’t form hives. Mason bees, thankfully, don’t sting unless grabbed and so can be a happy little neighbor we don’t have to worry about in terms of aggressively defending their nest.

Okay, I have to thank my husband Adam for this because we saw a mason bee house for sale at the Bay Shore arts festival and I begged him for it. Then I haggled it down from $30 to $25. I think a lot of people don’t know what it is so they didn’t bother but I fell in love with it the moment I saw it. I didn’t have the required cash on me so he spotted me despite his misgivings. 

I took it home and wanted it to last long, so I decided to seal it with something natural and nontoxic. Thankfully, I have a bar of pure beeswax and olive oil, which, when mixed together in a hot water bath, produces a natural sealant and polish. I put in a bit too much beeswax so it took a slightly longer time to spread it on but that was the project I worked on last night and hung it up where an old garden clock was on an oak tree. I have to say it was SO cute in the kitchen I almost kept it inside as decoration–but that would have defeated the purpose. The tubes, as they get used up, should be replaced every so often.

Now all I have to do is wait for some bees to take up residence.

Update: It has seen many residents over the two years, including one that had a traffic accident with my husband when he was walking past it! He said one of them shot out and bumped into his neck and it had startled him bad but he’s glad something is actually using it.