Attracting Mason Bees to Your Georgia Garden

Mason bees are superb early-season pollinators for fruit and vegetable gardens. Unlike honeybees, they're solitary and nest in hollow tubes. No local Georgia retailers sell them, but you can order cocoons online from suppliers like Crown Bees (crownbees.com) or Knox Cellars (knoxcellars.com). Provide nesting houses made from paper tubes inserted into 4-inch PVC pipe, mounted under an eave facing southeast. Bees emerge in spring, pollinate, and lay eggs that overwinter as cocoons. In summer, remove tubes to inspect for pests and harvest cocoons for next year. They're gentle, efficient, and a great addition to any edible garden.