Bee Nurseries

How to Use Bee Nurseries: A Complete Guide to Supporting Native Bees

Here's something that might surprise you: the bees most responsible for pollinating your garden aren't the honeybees everyone talks about.

They're the quiet, solitary native bees that have been pollinating North American plants for thousands of years, long before European honeybees ever arrived. These unsung heroes include mason bees, leafcutter bees, carpenter bees, and hundreds of other species that don't live in hives, don't make honey, and rarely (if ever) sting.

But here's the problem: while we've spent decades protecting honeybee habitat, native bee populations have been quietly declining. Their nests get destroyed during garden clean-ups, their nesting sites disappear to development, and pesticides wipe out entire generations before they even emerge.

That's where Bee Nurseries come in.

These aren't your typical bamboo bee hotels that harbor disease and fall apart after one season. Bee Nurseries are handcrafted porcelain nesting tubes designed to give native bees a safe, clean, permanent home in your garden, one that you can sterilize between seasons to prevent the spread of parasites and disease.

If you want to make a real difference for pollinators, supporting native bees might be the most impactful thing you can do. Let me show you how to turn your garden into a thriving native bee sanctuary.

Why Native Bees Need Your Help

Before we dive into placement and setup, let's talk about why native bees matter so much and why they're struggling.

Native Bees Are Pollination Powerhouses

While honeybees get all the attention, native bees are actually better pollinators for many North American plants. A single mason bee, for example, can pollinate as effectively as 100 honeybees. Why? They're messier pollinators—pollen sticks all over their fuzzy bodies rather than being packed neatly into pollen baskets, which means more pollen transfer per flower visit.

They're Solitary, Not Social

Unlike honeybees that live in large colonies, most native bees are solitary. A female bee finds or creates a small tunnel, lays her eggs inside individual cells stocked with pollen, seals them up, and never sees her offspring. No hive, no queen, no drama. Just one hardworking mama bee doing her thing.

This solitary lifestyle makes them incredibly gentle (they have no hive to defend) but also vulnerable. If their single nest is destroyed, that entire generation is lost.

Habitat Loss Is the #1 Threat

Native bees naturally nest in:

Hollow plant stems
Abandoned beetle tunnels in wood
Small cavities in dead trees
Hollow twigs and branches

When we "tidy up" our gardens (cutting back dead stems, removing fallen logs, clearing brush), we're eliminating the exact habitat native bees need to reproduce. Add pesticides, habitat fragmentation, and climate change to the mix, and you've got a recipe for population collapse.

Bee Nurseries Solve This Problem

By providing clean, safe, pesticide-free nesting tubes, you're giving native bees exactly what they need: a home. And because these porcelain tubes can be sterilized between seasons, you're offering disease-free housing that bamboo and cardboard alternatives simply can't match.

What Makes Bee Nurseries Different

Let's talk about what sets porcelain Bee Nurseries apart from other bee hotels you might have seen.

Porcelain Construction

Bee Nurseries are made from the same durable, food-safe porcelain as our Bee Cups. This means:

Easy to sterilize – Boil them or scrub with a brush between seasons to kill parasites, mold, and diseases
Weather-resistant – Won't rot, warp, or fall apart like bamboo or cardboard tubes
Permanent solution – These last for decades, not just one season
Heavy and stable – The square design and substantial weight keep tubes in place

Sealed at One End

Each tube is sealed at one end, which is critical. Native bees won't use a tunnel that's open at both ends—they need that back wall to build against. This sealed design mimics natural cavities perfectly.

Cleanable Between Seasons

This is the game-changer. Bamboo and cardboard bee hotels can't be cleaned, which means:

Parasitic wasps and mites build up over seasons
Fungal and bacterial diseases spread between generations
After 1-2 years, they become disease vectors rather than helpful habitat

Porcelain Bee Nurseries can be thoroughly cleaned, giving each new generation of bees a fresh, healthy start.

Strategic Spacing

Because these tubes are heavy and sturdy, you can space them throughout your garden rather than clustering them all together. This mimics natural nesting patterns and reduces the risk of a single predator (or parasite) wiping out all your bees at once.

Step 1: Choose Your Placement

Location is everything when it comes to native bee nesting success. Think like a solitary bee: where would you want to raise your babies?

Ideal Locations for Bee Nurseries:

Morning sun exposure – Native bees need warmth to develop. Place nurseries where they'll get morning sun (ideally facing east or southeast). The early warmth helps larvae develop properly and signals to emerging adults that it's time to start their day.

3-6 feet off the ground – Most native bees prefer nesting sites at eye level or higher. Mount or place nurseries on fences, walls, posts, or garden structures at this height range.

Near flowering plants – Place nurseries within 100 feet of diverse flowering plants. Bees need pollen sources nearby to stock their nest cells. The closer the flowers, the more efficient their nesting work.

Stable, permanent locations – Unlike Bee Cups that you might move seasonally, Bee Nurseries should stay put. Bees return to the same nesting sites year after year, and moving tubes can disorient emerging bees.

Protected from strong winds – While some air circulation is good, constant strong winds make it difficult for bees to land and enter tubes.

Away from high-traffic areas – While native bees are gentle, placing nurseries away from doorways and play areas reduces the chance of accidental disturbance.

Pro Placement Tips:

Garden sheds and fence posts are ideal mounting locations
South-facing walls work in cooler climates; east-facing is better in hot regions
Create multiple nesting sites throughout your property rather than one large cluster
Visible but not prominent – Bees will find them, but you don't need to make them the garden focal point

What to Avoid:

Full shade (bees won't use tubes that never warm up)
Ground-level placement (predators and moisture issues)
Directly exposed to afternoon sun in hot climates (can overheat developing larvae)
Near outdoor lights that attract predators at night

Step 2: Install Your Bee Nurseries

Installation is straightforward, but a few techniques ensure maximum bee occupancy.

Mounting Methods:

On vertical surfaces (walls, fences, posts): The square design of Bee Nurseries makes them easy to secure:

You can use outdoor adhesive suitable for ceramics (marine-grade epoxy works excellently)
Small shelf brackets can hold multiple tubes
Wire or twine can lash them to fence posts

Installation Angle:

Slight downward tilt (5-10 degrees) toward the opening helps prevent water accumulation and makes it easier for bees to drag pollen inside. However, perfectly horizontal works fine too; native bees are adaptable.

Spacing Between Tubes:

If mounting multiple nurseries:

Space them at least 3-4 inches apart
This reduces competition and aggressive interactions
It also prevents parasite spread between adjacent nests

Security Check:

Give installed tubes a gentle shake. They should feel solid and immovable. Bees won't invest energy in a nest that might fall or shift.

Step 3: Let the Bees Discover and Nest

Now comes the rewarding part: watching native bees find and use your nurseries.

What to Expect (Timeline):

Spring (March-May): Mason bees and other early-season natives emerge and start seeking nesting sites. This is prime nesting season for many species. You might see bees investigating tubes within days of installation.

Summer (June-August): Leafcutter bees and summer-active species take over. You'll notice different nesting behaviors. Leafcutter bees famously cut perfect semicircle pieces from leaves to line their nest cells.

Fall: Most nesting activity slows, though some late-season species may still be working. Sealed tubes now contain developing bees that will overwinter and emerge next spring.

Winter: Larvae and pupae are safely overwintering inside sealed cells. Leave nurseries undisturbed through winter.

Signs of Active Nesting:

Bees entering and exiting tubes – You'll see them flying directly in with pollen loads or emerging to forage

Mud or leaf material at tube openings – Different species use different materials to seal cells and close tube entrances. Mason bees use mud; leafcutter bees use leaves; resin bees use plant resin.

Closed tube entrances – Once a female bee fills a tube completely with nest cells, she seals the entrance. A sealed tube = success!

Occasional debris – Bees clean out tubes before nesting, so you might see old material ejected

What NOT to Do:

Don't disturb active tubes – Resist the urge to peek inside while bees are working. Opening tubes can cause bees to abandon nests.

Don't move nurseries mid-season – Wait until fall/winter when all activity has stopped.

Don't panic if occupancy is low at first – It can take a full season for local bees to discover new nesting sites. Year two typically sees much higher use.

Don't expect immediate results – Native bee populations build slowly. Each successfully raised generation increases your local population.

Step 4: Seasonal Maintenance and Cleaning

This is where porcelain Bee Nurseries shine: you can actually clean them properly between generations.

Simple cleaning:

Boil in water with a small amount of white vinegar (10:1 water-to-vinegar ratio)
Scrub thoroughly inside and out
Rinse multiple times
Optional: Soak in diluted hydrogen peroxide solution for additional sterilization
Dry completely in the sun
Reinstall

Troubleshooting: Common Questions

"No bees are using my nurseries."

Give it time. Make sure you have:

Adequate flowering plants nearby (native bees need pollen sources)
Proper sun exposure (morning sun is critical)
Correct timing (spring is peak season for many species)
Local native bee populations (urban areas may have fewer natives)

"Something is eating the bees inside!"

Predators like woodpeckers, wasps, and ants sometimes attack bee nests. Solutions:

Add wire mesh or hardware cloth in front of tubes (large enough for bees to enter but blocks birds)
Space nurseries throughout the garden rather than clustering
Apply sticky barriers to mounting surfaces to deter ants

"I see tiny wasps around the nurseries."

Some are parasitic wasps that lay eggs in bee nests. This is normal and part of the ecosystem. Others are beneficial tiny wasps that also use the tubes. Don't panic unless you're seeing complete nest failure.

"When should I add more nurseries?"

If 75% or more of your tubes are occupied by mid-summer, add more. Native bee populations will grow to fill available habitat.

The Bigger Picture: Your Native Bee Impact

Providing nesting habitat for native bees creates ripple effects beyond your property.

Ecosystem Benefits:

Better pollination – Native bees pollinate differently than honeybees, often more effectively for native plants
Biodiversity support – Healthy native bee populations support birds, predators, and the entire food web
Resilience – Diverse pollinator populations create ecosystem resilience against diseases and climate fluctuations
Education – Your Bee Nurseries become teaching moments for neighbors and visitors

The Multiplier Effect:

Each successfully raised female bee will create her own nests the following year. A single mason bee can produce 30-40 offspring in one season. Within 2-3 years of providing quality habitat, you can see dramatic increases in local native bee populations.

Your small action can literally change the population dynamics of native bees in your neighborhood.

Ready to Support Native Bees?

Using Bee Nurseries is wonderfully simple:

Mount them in a sunny, sheltered location near flowers
Let native bees discover and nest naturally
Clean tubes between seasons for healthy bee populations
Watch your local native bee numbers grow year after year

That's it. No feeding, no complicated management. Just providing clean, safe housing and letting native bees do what they've done for thousands of years.

Welcome to native bee stewardship. Your garden (and the bees) will never be the same.

Shop Bee Nurseries Here 👉 https://bee-cups.com/collections/shop-page-all/products/native-bee-nurseries-3-pack-new-look

Happy native bee watching!

Have native bee stories or Bee Nursery experiences to share? We'd love to hear them! Tag us on social media! Native bee enthusiasts are a passionate, knowledge-sharing community, and we're excited to have you join it.

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