Bee House Supplies

The most important thing you can do for your Orchard Mason Bees is to maintain healthy nesting sites by keeping their environment clean and parasite-free.  Both our outer Protector Tubes and inner Nesting Straws are manufactured to meet our specific requirements:

Our outer Protector Tubes are made of heavy cardboard that is just thick enough to prevent predator wasps - the Darth Vader's of the OMB world - from inserting their ovipositors and laying their eggs in with the OMB larvae (then eating 'em up). These outer Protector Tubes are reusable and will last for many years as long as they are kept relatively dry. 

These Nesting Straws are definitely not just plastic drinking straws!  They are custom-manufactured with a 5/16" diameter, which has been proven to be preferred by OMBs and allows for the development of large, healthy offspring.  The inner surface of the nesting straws is slightly rough to help the mud adhere, and the outside is lightly coated to be moisture-resistant, but breathable, to help keep the bees dry during rainy spring weather.  The inner Nesting Straws are the only items that must be replaced each year, since they become soiled as the bee larvae develop to maturity.  The good news is, they're also very inexpensive!   Store  

We sell both our outer Protector Tubes and our inner Nesting Tubes in packages of fifty:

(50) outer Protector Tubes = $15.00, includes all shipping and handling fees

(50) inner Nesting Tubes =    $12.00, includes all shipping and handling fees