Solitary Bee Houses

indicated except where Joel Gardner Pictures by Joel Gardner Written by Wild Bees and Building Wild Bee Houses Aside from just being plain gorgeous? and bumble The 98% bees. other bees we’veare those wild other talking about. been United States, and inMinnesota, there are probably to close 400.Not even2%of are these honey bees to there learn surprised are almost 20,000knownworld. inthe of species bees About 3,500live inthe If you are one of many the people divide who “bees” into “honey bees” and “bumble bees”, you might be as ageneral used catch-allcan be for any basically that bee is not To avoid confusion due slight to these (but important) differences,bees”the term “wild or bees” “pollen social. also Bumble are bees aprime example native of Some asocial native bee. sweat and are carpenter bees bees aggressive, native territorial highly Likewise, males. are bees usually, but not necessarily solitary. Anthidium manicatum Most are native, bees also solitary though there are afew exceptions. The European carder wool bee, not actively help eachother. own without eggs any help may bees from nest Some solitary inlarge other bees. groups, but do they is her own bee queen. Shesolitary builds her own her nest, own collects and pollen nectar, and lays her not incolonies with aqueen and workers like and honey bumble bees It bees. said couldthat be each “Solitary bees” is another termyou inplace of used might “native”. see live bees on own, their Solitary where it originated.) relative term.The is bee honeynot native in America, but it settlers brought over European the honey (Before bee. Igo further, it should noted be that “native” is a firstthe Europeansettlers arrived, native livedbees American here for millions of yearsbefore those he hit actually to close mark. the Just like Native the American people lived long inAmerica before tothem Native Americans. “So you’re studying he said. Indian He bees?” was joking, of course, but When to Iexplained mygrandfather , is an invasive that bee may detrimental solitary to native be due to bees the Why important? are they How many are there? and Solitary Bees, Solitary Native Bees, What are they? Wild Bees: that Iwas studying native he immediately bees, connected is anative inEurope, bee Asia, and Africa, Apis mellifera Apis

. indicated except where Joel Gardner Pictures by Joel Gardner Written by Wild Bees and Building Wild Bee Houses nesting bees. own their tunnels carve bees out of jaws, with powerful their have wood but otherwise similar nesting habits to other cavity- nest ofOpen ( acarpenter bee andnesting complete the bees, life usually one cycle takes year. contains cell cells. Each of sealed small, series alump of and pollen anlike burrows the egg, of ground- mud, use will nesting leaves, bee or another material to and build walls divide tunnel the into alinear plant stems or instead holes left beetles, inwood a by ofdigging tunnelwood-boring ground.the in A The thecavity-nesting 30-40%, other bees, require a bit more effort use todrawbees hollow in. These own.their in your yard. Bumble nest underground, bees but abandoned use rodent burrows instead of digging can attract ground-nesting simply bees by making sure to leave some spots undisturbed of soil exposed, usuallyonean which takes egg, year to develop into an adult and anew. can cycle the bee begin You The hillsides. main burrow havewill several branching tunnels,each containing a lump pollen of and 60 and 70%)digburrows ground. inthe bees prefer These dry,sandy soilbare of vegetation, often on secondThe necessity, shelter, refers wherecanto bees places nest. Most non-parasitic (between bees “somewhere else”. range don’t than so honey bees, assume can nest they inyour yard and and get pollen their nectar The more flowers you canplant bees generally wild better: haveyourself, athe much shorter foraging Notpollen. and nectar is nutritious, equally pollen all avarietyis important so for ahealthy diet. bee naturallywill attract agreater diversity and of provide also bees, agreater diversity of and nectar year, there so is always something available on to any bees the given day. Agreater diversity of flowers and Ideally, pollen. you should have many differentkinds of flowers that bloom atdifferent times the of haveBees two necessities: basic and food shelter. Flowers provide for form inthe food of bees nectar of examplesfull like this. to exclusion the of else, making it all asuperior pollinator for plants. those The world of native is bees Andcherries. squash the bee it coldwhen too for might be still pollinating honey bees, willows and trees such fruit as apples and enough to force apart. solitary blue The petals the orchardbee, some wildflowersbottlethe like gentian,whichcan pollinated be only largeby bumble bees strong pollinatorspepper thanks to habit their of buzzing flower the Thereto pollenshake loose. are even betteractually at pollinating alot of plants than are. honey bees Bumble make great bees tomato and ornamentals, and wildflowers get adequatepollination. We are just now discoveringthat bees are wild Honey may bees pollinate most of our crops, but it’s up to to make our sure bees wild garden plants, Pollination. Xylocopa Attracting Wild Bees Peponapis pruinosa Peponapis ) showing of cells divided and series development to pupa. from larva Carpenter How it? Ido can to your or or Garden: will seek out seek will pumpkins, squash, and other cucurbits Yard Osmia lignaria Osmia , flies early, flies the in spring indicated except where Joel Gardner Pictures by Joel Gardner Written by Wild Bees and Building Wild Bee Houses of sticks is agreat design. incomplete and lack acap.) But for asimple, house temporary without bee any bundle the frills, extra indicationis agood of or whether not of italthoughbe fraction used, nests asmall has will been of to use prevent buildup. disease (The presence of a mud, leaf, or resin “cap” the at tunnel entrance withoutaccessed splitting nest the open. Sticks therefore will replaced to need be after one twoor years it is more difficult tothekeep tunnels clean or to check bees,the for as nesting contents cannot be sticksthe cut can using be only ahand saw It be. ifneed is relatively fast and simple to make. However, housebee Thistype foris of peoplegood without much woodworking experience or access to tools, as keep sun the and rain off, but youcan put out plain tied stickswith up wire, too. outthem can wherethem. find bees Usually,be containedthe will bundle some insort of shelter to number of hollow sticks or reeds, such as bamboo, phragmites, or sumac, bundle up, them and put The simplest housebee the type is of bundle of sticks model. Pretty self-explanatory: somejust take orwhether not therehouse around. is abee if you had ahyper-sensitive allergy, bee you case inwhich are at risk simply working inaflower garden pinprick. Even frequent wasps, also which houses, solitary are bee The docile. only concern mightbe compared mild is very sting the then, bees of to or honey solitary bumble bees little bees; more than a circumstances. Maybe ifyou deliberately one grabbed and you squeezed, would get stung. But even No.Answer: They arecapable certainly of stinging, but they won’t do it under any ordinary “If house, up Iset abee sting would me or bees the anyone else?” When you mention mostimmediately people will bees, of you think stinging. So might naturally ask, like abird house for We bees. shortly explore will different the housesbee indepth,types of but first: You can attract cavity-nesting by bees providing tunnels house— inaman-made abee structure called segment is open. only so nodes, onethe end of the Cut reed into segments just behind Simplicity: Building Houses: Wild Bee The bundle The of sticks bundle Accessibility: A note on stinging clean out any remainder.) with will abent wire or (Bees drill. Remove some of soft the pithfilling Making Nests Reed Reusability: Reusability: and bundle together. blue or black (optional) Paint some front faces indicated except where Joel Gardner Pictures by Joel Gardner Written by Wild Bees and Building Wild Bee Houses foam blocks instead of Foam wood. is much cheaper and of than wood is and disposed easily replaced. People raise who commercial pollinators for crop pollinationsometimes often thiswith design, use pollination), uniformity the of nest this isbeneficial. actually However, ifyou only want to attract (for kindof acertain bee example, blue the orchard for bee apple overcomekinds can though ofthis be bees, to some extent by different using several sizes of drills. compared with bundle the of sticks. With little too variation, not nest the will attract as many different Perhaps main the disadvantage ofblock is model lack the of wood the varietyintunnel diameters damp environment that facilitate will have mold will growth. greater Bees nesting success inpaper. recommended except arid places. perhaps Glass and invery plastic donot absorb moisture, creating a Glass or clear plastic tubes may instead used of be paper inorder inside, to see easily but is this not of be uniform all holes size, straws will the cheaply can be purchased inbulk or evenrolled yourself. and replaced be easily bees, straws withthe new to keep pathogen levels drilled down. Because solutionThe disposable paperis to insert straws intoeach tunnel. bepulled can These out toaccess insideand impossible bees the to see. are case this even less accessible than bundle the of difficult tokeep sticks, clean makingblock the very you done, could be would and bees nest init, but there are problems several with that. The tunnels in partway through holesdeep require it drilled will (this long and apower bit). avery drill At that point trees that It wild. cavity-nesting inthe use will bees is simply ablock of of wood any sizewith some A slightly more advanced house block ofthe model. mimics isThisholes wood the design type bee in a long bit. drill holes partwayDrill through block with wood Simplicity: Accessibility: Making Wood Block Nests The wood block The wood Reusability: Reusability: Insert paper straws into holes. indicated except where Joel Gardner Pictures by Joel Gardner Written by Wild Bees and Building Wild Bee Houses • • • No matter what house kindof you bee make, general help tips these will make it a success. more than once). As blocks, you withwood solid the have also less variation intunnel sizes. other (the screws lids option with wood is preclude glue, will which removing and replacing lid the arouter, need will acircular saw or table saw, press and adrill too, is useful, ifyou want the to secure The main drawback the to clear-topped the difficultyexpenseblocks is and wood of construction. You ready again. used to be cleaning lidsremoved the can is needed, be for access easy to interior, the are replaced then they when you so them, can evenwatch at bees the work during nesting and season monitor progress. their When with a transparent lidto make atunnel for to nestwithout bees in.Theseen easilynests canbe opening arouteruse to cut U-shaped grooves outer inthe face(s)ofgrooves block. the These arethen covered block or block. It observation is similar to block other nests, wood only instead of holes, drilling you The most complex house,bee type of butbest the in terms of convenience,the is clear-topped wood for nest blocks. It should obvious, be but donot treated use or wood aromatic insect-repellent (such wood as cedar) tunnelsthe may same, the look bees the and become confused track of lose nests. their sizes, and helps distinguish also bees nest their from others nearby and remember where it is. If all Variation exact. very to be intunnel dimensions accommodates more of different bees and species Ideal tunnel depths are 5and between 8inches, and diameters from 1/8”to 1/2”;you donot need segments that so one endby is closed anatural node. increases exposure to parasites and pathogens. If using abundle of reeds like bamboo, cut the Tunnels should open on be one end and on closed other the open end.on ends Being both Cut straight U-shaped grooves with arouter. inwood Simplicity: Tips houses for bee making The observation block The observation Making Block Nests Observation Accessibility: countersink. Attach clear lidusing glue with or screws wood Reusability: Reusability: indicated except where Joel Gardner Pictures by Joel Gardner Written by Wild Bees and Building Wild Bee Houses • • • • • • • • • • it accomplished can be with aid the of an “emergence chamber”. you can remove manually bees the and are release they when them ready to flyseason, next or else remove any inside first. bees If you have block nest a withpaper wood straws or a removable lid, Nests with a50%or sterilized can bleach/water be higher solution. Obviously, you want will to wholethe nest ifleftunchecked. death trap. Having many so tunnels together close makes it for easy pathogens to spread through and hairy-fingered mitescan build enoughup to high levelsthat the becomes nest more bee like a cleaned or replaced two years. at Longer least every than that, and pathogens such as chalkbrood You wouldn’t like to live inahouse that is never cleaned, and neitherNests dobees. should be entrance should facesoutheast to get more early morning sun. receive warm sunlight early morning, inthe but shaded from be intense afternoon heat. The nest If possible, put nest the on obstacle eastern the sideof such atall as trees or abuilding, that so it will garden” nearby is always idea. agood Ideally, blooming there species should at several be any given time. Maintaining a“pollinator Most importantly, make sure there are flowers availablethroughout the spring, summer, and fall. mud source, but don’t put nest the right on top of it. spot with low Placenest the vegetation, bets. inadry good ifpossible. Mason anearby need bees state. Abandoned lots, overgrown gardens, railroad right-of-ways, and recently cleared trees are all Ideal locations are recently disturbed, weedy fieldsthe in process of to a reverting more natural grown patches, you to usually need remove will ants and/or spiders thattheir find way in. up directly onto nest. the However, nothing is foolproof, inwetter, and especially more thickly immediatethe area around nest the clear grass and of ants tall weeds so and spiders cannot climb tanglefoot, or asimilar product; makes this it difficult for ants and spidersgrip. totheir keep Keep Watch out for ants and spiders. Keep approaches to nest the lubricated with petroleum jelly, workscrews well for holding shelter wooden boxes. stick bundles or blocks hung can wood be up using garden wire, metal while stakes with wood houses should at be Bee least three or four feet above ground, the to closer five. ideally Individual box color this might attract more from bees longer distances. Bright, fluorescent bluevisible is highly and attractive bees. to Painting parts of your nest or shelter reds. see colors. Blue, black, and unpainted raw contrast. make agood wood Keep inmind that cannot bees To create more nest variation to help orient bees the themselves, paint tunnel the entrances different knots adjacent can between weaken walls the tunnels. Going across weakens grain the also tunnels. If you are making clear-topped blocks, get with as wood high-qualityfew knots wood as possible, as Tips for maintaining houses bee Tips for houses setting up bee indicated except where Joel Gardner Pictures by Joel Gardner Written by Wild Bees and Building Wild Bee Houses Give it atry! Minnesota and North Dakota.on Depending where you live, you might get totally different species. Thisthe differentis aof summary kindsbees and of wasps I found during 3years in of nest surveys you’reSo ready house to build and abee it set up somewhere. What can to you get init? expect • • • leafcutter bees). to emerge. This might happenalmost immediately (with bees) takemason a or monthsfew (with In early spring, first the when flowersbeesstart take blooming, the out of storage and wait them for direct exposure to extreme lows likely will result insome deaths. Wild outside can survive bees winter temperatures wouldn’t (they here couldn’t), be ifthey still but winter, the Over inrefrigerated keep bees cold storage (around 4°C)or an unheated garage or shed. twocycle different nests in and out while keeping of themuse clean. fresh nests up set outside emergence the chamber for to find. bees new the this way,In youcan tunnels, ready be for and will emerge. they cleaning bees the as as all Ideally, soon you would have and crawl out, but are they not likely totheir find way back in. used nestwill the in bees Thus, no and wait for to emerge bees the naturally. light the When do, from see they exit the will hole they to fitthrough.a bee Youcan put anyoccupied nests in it, putthe emergence chamber outside, An emergence chamber box with one is adark, hole sealed small on bottom the big enough for Photo courtesy Diane Wilson, www.bugguide.net sheen (one is brilliant Southern species bright green or purple). like exceptlook mason bees, somewhat more slender and usually without any metallic and havebees similar habits. Nests made canout be of leaf pulp or mud. The adults Hoplitis to fast their flight. often bees, withblue a metallic sheen, and areeasily recognizable but rarely seen due gravel, resin, chips, wood or flower be The mayused. petals adultsalso are dark,bulky depending on Most species. the construct cells with mud or leaf pulp, but sand, Osmia (mason bees) fly fromfly mid-spring earlyto summer. They are closely related to mason Hoplitis albifrons to to Osmia lignaria Osmia Common Visitors Wild Bee HousesWild Bee fly from fly early spring earlyto summer. Nests are variable highly prepupae incells separated by leaf pulp. cocoons separated by mud walls. Bees indicated except where Joel Gardner Pictures by Joel Gardner Written by Wild Bees and Building Wild Bee Houses Anthidium manicatum Anthidium manicatum Megachile relativa resins, and leaf pulp or mud inotherThe adults may species. used be also are dull get common their bees the name. Certain but species, the most cut use leaf fragments to cells, from enclosed build fully which Megachile Stelis rudbeckiarum yellow on stripes abdomen. the adults resemble short-haired or mason carder bees often bees, withpale spots or resemble leafcutter with short hair bees and along, sharply pointed abdomen. on host populations compared with other factors (such as disease). work. Fortunately, cleptoparasitic are rare bees very and donot have alarge impact eat host’swill the without all pollen, cleptoparasite the mother needing to doany own inits egg place.can’t The bee host the difference, tell theand cleptoparasite larva own; instead, find they anotherbee’s nest, destroythe bee’s host their egg, and sneak Coelioxys patrolthey territory, their chasing away that other bees get close. too invasive European wool have carder males whose bee, adistinctive hovering flight as havethey stout the and body long hair of The abee. most commonthe is species black with yellow markings, and are mistaken easily for wasps or hoveralthough flies, plant leaves and make awooly substance with to which line nests. their Adults are Anthidium black with yellow markings. They areeasily mistaken for wasps the untrainedby eye. that secrete from they The glands adults on bodies. their aretiny, hairless, glossyand mud, resin, etc.) nests; intheir yellow-faced make cells out bees of clear athin, film not familybees inthe Megachilidae. Only Megachilidae foreign use material (leaves, Hylaeus are distinctly sculptured bodies their very with round pits like agolf ball. are with short black small, white bees hair, overlooked easily up, Close wild. inthe Midwest North (11inall and America), plant use both resin to construct cells. These Heriades legs. shapebody is recognizable with practice. Somehave males broad, strikingly front pale black with white, yellow, orange, or black hair often forming theirstripes, and stout Heriades carinatus Heriades Hylaeus (yellow-faced bees) cells made of leaf fragments, eachcontaining and provisions. pollen alarva fly all flyall summer. group, Asmall there are justtwo commonthe in species and (carder bees) (leafcutter bees) (leafcutter nest cells surrounded by wooly plant fibers. Photo courtesy Peter Hallett. prepupae cells of clear thin, infragile waterproof film. photo (bottom) courtesy Diane Wilson, www.bugguide.net Stelis prepupae incells made completely of hardened plant resin. are are cleptoparasitic

fly all flyall summer. hairs collect They fuzzy offcertain of

fly all flyall summer, and are one thecavity-nesting of few fly all flyall summer. Nests are variable depending on Megachile bees. They do They not bees. make nests their of , called resin bees, use only use resin plant bees, , called Coelioxys adults Stelis Stelis indicated except where Joel Gardner Pictures by Joel Gardner Written by Wild Bees and Building Wild Bee Houses incidental pollination, but main their benefit populationsis in keepingpest insect down. bring it back to nest the wasps to for eat.visit flowers Solitary larvae the for somenectar and do Unlike wasps are bees, predators. Instead of provisioning catch will they cells with prey pollen, and normal circumstances, evenifyou opennests. their wasps are solitary bees, much solitary Like gentlercousins. notwill than They social sting their under Passaloecus prepupae, along with uneaten aphids from cell (6th right) and wasp from (9th aparasitic right.) chrysidid Photo courtesy Diane Wilson, www.bugguide.net lucky, rarely-seen these wasps can help protect your house from bee spiders. appearance, but houses mostusing are species bee black, small, and slender. If you are in adistinctive pot shape, and stocked with one spider each.Adults greatly vary in houses. Nest bee but solitary use cells are afew will made out of mud, sometimes Pompilidae (spider wasps) large and black, solid with adistinctnarrow “waist” thorax the and between abdomen. tree crickets. No or other wasp bee grass as uses aconstruction material. Adults are grass to build stock nests, their with waspsthey which captured carry grass-carrying Isodontia aphid biological control agent, something any gardener should interested be in. to efficiencyDue their at collecting aphids, they been have considered possible asa unremarkable; perhaps most their distinguishing feature is large their protruding jaws. resin and stocked with acouple dozen aphids each.The adults aretiny, black, and Passaloecus large, black, glossy with yellow and stripes spots. generations year, per one inearly summer and another inlate summer. Adults are made out of mud and stocked caterpillarshave They with small larvae. two or beetle Ancistrocerus Pot-shaped mud cells of aspider wasp, adult with adead outside far the right cell. Ancistrocerus albophalaterus (grass-carrying wasps) (aphid wasps) Abandoned and Euodynerus Isodontia Wasps fly in summer. Most nest inunderground burrows, flyearly in summer. Nest cells are made out of pine prepupae inmud-walled cells. nest with grass filling. (potter wasps)(potter fly inmid-summer. their As name suggests, fly all flyall summer. Their nests are indicated except where Joel Gardner Pictures by Joel Gardner Written by Wild Bees and Building Wild Bee Houses Anthrax generally donot have alarge impact on host populations. wasps are extremely diverse and more common than cleptoparasitic but rare bees, still enough that they and laylarva) an inor egg on it.parasitoid The then hatcheslarva eatsand the hostalive. Parasitoid dependingtimes on host activity. Parasitoid bee or wasp wasps findsolitary a thiscase,host a (in Chrysididae, , aparasitoid fly, also bees and wasps. attackssolitary Sapyga, Ephialtes, Melittobia , andothers are parasitoids that fly at various