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

The bees doing most of the heavy lifting in your garden probably aren't the honeybees everyone talks about. They're native bees: mason bees, leafcutter bees, carpenter bees, and hundreds of other solitary species that have been pollinating North American plants for thousands of years. Unlike honeybees, they don't live in hives, don't make honey, and rarely sting. The problem is their nests get destroyed during garden clean-ups and pesticides wipe out entire generations. Bee Nurseries are handcrafted porcelain tubes that give these bees a safe place to nest, and unlike bamboo bee hotels, you can actually sterilize them between seasons. Let’s talk about how to use them to help native bees.

Step 1: Choose Your Placement

🐝All Nurseries should be placed horizontally and placed with the hole facing outward so that it can be easily seen by passing bees.
🐝Sheltered from direct sun – Place nurseries in shade or where they'll avoid direct sun exposure. Porcelain heats up significantly, and too much sun can overheat developing larvae. Exception: if nighttime temps regularly dip below 55°F, some morning sun is acceptable.
🐝3-6 feet off the ground – place Nurseries on fences, walls, posts, or garden structures.🐝Near flowering plants – Place Nurseries within 100 feet of diverse flowering plants. Bees need pollen sources nearby to stock their nest cells.
🐝Stable, permanent locations – Bee Nurseries should stay put. Bees return to the same nesting sites year after year.

Step 2: Let the Bees Discover and Nest

Spring (March-May): Mason bees and other early-season natives emerge and start seeking nesting sites. You might see bees investigating tubes within days.
Summer (June-August): Leafcutter bees take over. You'll notice them cutting perfect semicircle pieces from leaves to line their nest cells.
Fall: Most nesting activity slows. 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.
Signs of active nesting: Bees entering and exiting tubes with pollen loads, mud or leaf material at tube openings, closed tube entrances (success!)
🐝 Don't disturb active tubes. Don't move nurseries mid-season. Don't panic if occupancy is low at first; it can take a full season for local bees to discover new sites.

Seasonal Maintenance and Cleaning

Wait until you see the seal at the end of the tube broken. This means that your bees have emerged. If your tubes have been occupied all winter spring is the perfect time watch for a broken seal. Then:

1. Boil tubes in water 

2. Scrub thoroughly inside and out with a straw brush or pipe cleaner

3. Rinse multiple times

4. Dry completely in the sun

5. Reinstall for the new season

This process kills parasites, mold, and bacteria.

Common Questions

"No bees are using my nurseries." Give it time. Make sure you have adequate flowering plants nearby, proper shade placement, and that it's spring (peak season).

"I see tiny wasps around the nurseries." These are beneficial wasps that use the nests just like bees. They rarely sting, pollinate flowers, and eat garden pests like cabbage worms.

"When should I add more nurseries?" If 75% or more of your tubes are occupied by mid-summer, add more.

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