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I think you might be thinking of Carpenter Bees. They can be a huge nuisance because they burrow into wood planks on exposed framing, outdoor furniture and decks. Mason Bees look for existing holes and nooks they can use. A small nest of collections of hollow bamboo will attract mason Bees for sure. Carpenter Bees just bore a hole wherever they feel like it.
Edit: oops, someone beat me to it.
And they claim they won't bore into painted wood. Not true. I battle with them every year on my painted garage.
Carpenter bees are bigger than most types of Mason bees and they're not shy, they can be aggressive. I've never been stung by a Carpenter bee but I've had them chase and dive bomb me. I've had the Mud Dauber wasps chase and dive bomb me too, and wait in ambush above a door then do their kamikaze thing when I walked out the door. Carpenters and Mud Daubers can be sneaky buggers.
The little Mason bees don't chew through wood to make their tunnels. They are more than welcome in my garden. They just totally ignore you and carry on with their business unless you get right in their space and try to interfere with them while they're collecting pollen. I have been stung once by a Mason bee (my fault, I accidently grabbed it up with a handful of weeds being pulled) and the sting was negligible, barely worse than being pricked by a small rose thorn and no swelling, no continuing pain or ache afterwards.
I don't need to 'attract' mason bees, they are already one of my most annoying pest problems- they pack all kinds of things with mud, ranging from the grooves in the unassembled frame bars for my honeybees, to fuel line hoses, carburetor adjustment ports and all kinds of other places...including my gas grill, which resulted in an explosion and fire. Those little buggers are driving me batty.
I don't need to 'attract' mason bees, they are already one of my most annoying pest problems- they pack all kinds of things with mud, ranging from the grooves in the unassembled frame bars for my honeybees, to fuel line hoses, carburetor adjustment ports and all kinds of other places...including my gas grill, which resulted in an explosion and fire. Those little buggers are driving me batty.
Sorry, but mason bees do not do that. Mud daubers on the other hand do. You must have something in your yard that attracts them. The ones I have in my yard are very large, and go for cicadas, and Katydids. I do have a smaller version that goes for, I don't know what, and usually build their mud nests in my shed, and the statuettes I have around the yard.
This is a mud dauber, also known as a Katydid hunter/killer. They live in my driveway basin, and never bother me, even if I am working on the cars, right next to the basin. The male is the one who protects the nest, while the female is the hunter. As long as I don't get too close to their nesting area (meaning down in the hole) they could care less about me.
Mason bees are highly destructive. Have an exposed 2x4? They will drill a hole 3/4 inch in then go sideways several feet. You don't need to ask what that does for the strength of the lumber. I would never try to attract them.
I have holes like that from bees about 2 cm long. I've always called them carpenter bees.
The terms "bee" and "wasp" are quite confused. Frankly, I consider something that paralyses spiders or other things a wasp; things that gather pollen and nectar, a bee. My "Bees And Wasps" book by Valerie Swenson that I read 60 years ago made me a 7 year old expert on the subject. In those days, our garage actually was home to about 4 or 5 different types of solitary wasp. Scary yes, but intriguing, I never got stung.
Carpenter wasps burrow into wood and are rarely destructive. Mason wasps and potter wasps are a confused couple of species - I think they do the same thing (a lumpy mud mass that they build cells into; the mason's mud nest resembles a square brick; potter wasps construct a conical-shaped structure also of mud). Both use spiders to feed the larvae. And, no, they are not bees. Btw, I have been chased by a potter wasp after getting too close to her nest. So, steer clear if she's working on it.
Solitary bees that do pollinate flowers include alkali and leaf cutting bees. There is a fascinating, "everything you want to know" film on Prelinger Archives.com called "Putting Wild Bees To Work." A must see! I had no idea that wild bees were actually procured to fertilize alfalfa, and probably other things. In this very expertly put together film, you'll see just how it is done.
Last edited by TwinbrookNine; 03-10-2018 at 04:27 PM..
The terms "bee" and "wasp" are quite confused. Frankly, I consider something that paralyses spiders or other things a wasp; things that gather pollen and nectar, a bee. .....
I agree there can be confusion between bees and wasps. My rule of thumb, if it's carnivorous or omnivorous it's some kind of wasp, if it's vegetarian (eats pollen & nectar) it's a bee.
Mason bees aren't the same thing as mason wasps. Mason bees are real bees that are vegetarian and they have the body and behaviour of a bee. There is no similarity in body shape appearance or behaviour between a mason bee and a mason wasp.
Why would you want to attract Mason bees? -spider control?
I'm always trying to get rid of them.
Mason Bees are great early pollinators. Cherry trees, apple trees, plums, all benefit from Mason Bees early pollinating. They are also call "orchard bees" for this reason.
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