Native Bee Farming

Did you know?

Mason bees are super pollinators! It is estimated that mason bees pollinate 95% of the flowers they visit. They are important pollinators of fruit trees, vegetables, and flowers, and are vital for our environment and food production.

Unfortunately, mason bees and other native bee populations are on the decline.

The Master Gardener of Davidson County Native Bee Program began in 2021 with a goal to increase the population of native bees in the area. We are well on our way with over 1,200 cocoons harvested in 2023 and are anticipating the same for 2024! It is our hope that each year, as we are able to harvest more bees, we can expand the number of Native Bee Farming Participants.

Mason Bees make up the majority of bees farmed. They nest in the hollow stems of plants, so they are a good fit for bee farming. They are called mason bees because they use mud (like a bricklayer or mason uses concrete) to divide egg chambers and seal the end of hollow reeds. This protects their eggs as they develop into cocoons.

Leafcutter Bees also benefit from bee farming. They can be identified by the holes they cut in leaves. These holes are harmless to the plant. They use these sections of leaves to build and seal their nests.

It is important to note that the risk of being stung by mason bees is very low. They are not aggressive like honeybees can be.

What is a Native Bee Farmer?

We call our program participants "Native Bee Farmers". There are currently 50 participants caring for a total of 63 bee houses. A few of the tasks our Bee Farmers do to care for these native pollinators are:

• create native bee habitats for mason and leafcutter bees by installing bee houses in their yard & making sure they have plenty of native plants, especially those with spring & early summer blooms. In early spring, they place cocoons and new nesting materials in the bee houses near blooming plants and a mud source.
• watch over the cocoons, protecting them from birds and other predators until about July when they bring the reeds in from the elements.
• harvest the cocoons in late fall using eco-friendly techniques.

Behind the scenes, the bee program leaders plan and organize the purchasing, sorting, and distribution of the cocoon tubes and reeds for spring and the harvesting of cocoons in the fall. They sort the cocoons from the previous year’s filled reeds & inspect them for the presence of pests or disease. In the spring, they also pass out small spray bottles of bee pheromone that helps the emerging bees recognize the reeds as a suitable place to lay eggs.

How are the cocoons harvested?

The beekeepers gather at the demo garden in the fall, split open the filled reeds, sort the healthy cocoons from any damaged by predators or pests, wash & dry them, and prepare them to be stored in a cool environment until the following spring.

Join the effort to protect our Native Bee population!

Here are things anyone can do to help native bees thrive:

• Plant native plants, especially flowering plants that bloom in early spring.
• Resist the urge to keep an overly tidy landscape to provide native bees a habitat to nest in and plants for pollen.
• Delay mowing in the spring to allow early spring plants to bloom and wait at least a week between mows; keep the blade high if you must mow.
• Leave stems standing on your plants and flowers, especially those with hollow stems, so the native bees in your yard have natural places to lay eggs for cocoons. You can cut the bloom heads off so that you have a variety of stem lengths, 8-24" (see an example here: https://xerces.org/sites/default/files/publications/22-005_01_web-press.pdf).
• Be responsible about the use of herbicides and pesticides to avoid inadvertently killing native pollinators.