Beekeeping 101

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It's easy, entertaining, good for the world AND you don't have to wear this!

Honey Beekeeper in his protective suitHoney Beekeeper in his protective suit


For Gardeners

Native plant gardenNative plant gardenWe have received so much positive feedback from customers who can't believe how easy it is to attract native bees to their Better Bee Houses, and who are constantly surprised at just how entertaining it is to watch them nest! We often hear that their plants are more vigorous, and their gardens and orchards have become vastly more productive now that native bees are pollinating for them.

Advanced Native Beekeeping

Would you like to get more involved with managing your bees?

I love supporting my Orchard Mason Bees, and don't mind getting my hands dirty doing it!  If you're like me, and want to be more hands-on with your bees in order to increase your OMB populations (and mostly because it's really fun), there are many additional things you can do to ensure the good health of your bees.  Following are some more advanced and interactive steps you can take to nurture your bees so they don't expend nesting energy on fighting predators, searching for mud or locating nectar and pollen.

Season-by-Season Instructions

The life cycle of most solitary bees fits into a regular pattern. Females make nests using leaves, soil, or mud, and provision them with honey and pollen. They lay single eggs in divided cells. The eggs hatch and the larvae eat, grow, and pupate inside the same cell. The adults remain in the nest until spring or summer. The males usually emerge before the females, which are mated immediately after emergence from the nest. The cycle then repeats itself.