The Red Mason Bee

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The Red Mason bee is a fascinating and important solitary bee that you can keep in your garden, balcony, or farm. Mason bees are bees that use mud to build nests or partitions in their nests.

Mason bees are solitary bees. They nest in various little hidden nooks and crannies in nature. These can range from cracks in rocks to holes in wood to more exotic locations such as snail shells.

1.Mason Bees

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Red Mason bees are a specific species of mason bee native to the United Kingdom, Europe, and extending into North Africa and Iran. 

2. Red Mason Bees

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Osmia – A ‘Smelly’ Name

The reason these bees were named Osmia is that they produce a very specific lemony scent that marks their specific nests. 

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Living With Red Mason Bees

This is a particularly discrete bee. As with all bees, the males cannot sting. The females do have a little sting, but they are very disinclined to use it.

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These are really easy bees to create nesting sites for. If you can find some bamboo, or reed, or cane and cut it into equal lengths this is all you really need. 

5. How To Make Your Own Red Mason Bee Nesting Site (Applies For Other Mason Bees Too)

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ADVICE

Red Mason bees are solitary but they do form a sort of colony over time. If there are ample nesting sites, young bees that emerge in spring will just make a nest in a tube near where they emerge from.

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