UPDATE: February 7, 2010
OUR SHIPPING SEASON FOR BEES HAS OFFICIALLY ENDED AS OF FEBRUARY 7TH.
We have had another high sales year and are out of dormant bees to ship, so please consider ordering early in December or January next year to beat the rush. Please do not send in any orders for dormant bees at this time!
Empty tubes are still available for mail order or local pick up, so those of you with an established bee population can still purchase additional nesting space for them.
There will be one last opportunity for purchasing mason bees (and tubes) for locals in the Portland Metro area on Saturday, March 6, 10-4 pm at the Home Orchard Society's Fruit Propagation Fair, held this year at the Washington County Fairgrounds, Hillsboro, OR (on Cornell Rd. off Hwy 26).
If you still need mail-order mason bees, try Ruhl Bee Supply. If you miss our Fruit Propagation Fair, and are in the Portland metro area, you might be able to find mason bees at Garden Fever, or most of the Backyard Bird Shops.
As demand for mason bees rises, we are always looking for new bee suppliers in the Portland, OR metro area. Are you a mason bee enthusiast with bee houses that are overflowing with bees? Please contact me!
Karen Tillou
HOS Mason Bee sales coordinator
masonbees@homeorchardsociety.org
503-338-8479
Everything you need to know to order mason bees, including basic care, is in our all in one order form. Download PDF Order Form
Our tubes of bees are designed to fit inside PVC houses, but can be tucked anywhere safe and dry; tubes are paper, coated with a thin plastic for weather resistance. These bees are home-grown, adapted to the Pacific northwest climate, and extremely hardy. Download the Mason Bee Information Sheet
| Item | Code | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Bees in folded 12 inch tubes (12-18 cocoons) | 12FT | $3.00 |
| Bees in 6 inch tubes (6-9 cocoons) | 6FT | $1.50 |
Empty tubes tubes are paper, coated with a thin plastic for weather resistance. Tubes need folding in half, as a 12" tube is too deep for bees to use efficiently. We sell bundles of 27 because this is the number of tubes that fit (folded) in one side of a 3" PVC house, or that fills both ends of a 2" PVC house.
| Item | Code | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Coated 12 inch tube (One Tube) | 12T | $0.24 |
| Coated 12 inch tubes (27 Tubes) | 2712T | $6.00 |
Our PVC houses are simple: a 2" or 3" diameter length of PVC pipe is cut with overhangs at either end (rain/weather protection). Folded tubes are placed in each end, with the folds butting up against each other in the center. This gives the bees are blind tunnel for nesting, and keeps out more parasites. Wires complete the package, for easy hanging on orchard wires, tree limbs, or a fence.
| Item | Code | Price |
|---|---|---|
| 3 inch pipe, double-ended w/wires | 3PVC | $5.00 |
| 2 inch pipe, double-ended w/wires | 2PVC | $4.00 |
If you already have mason bees, maybe in a wood block house, or a first PVC house, then this is what you need for expanding your population: the same PVC house as above, but filled with empty tubes so your bees have new nesting sites!
| Item | Code | Price |
|---|---|---|
| 3 inch pipe, double-ended w/wires | ||
| and 54 empty 12 inch tubes | 3PVCE | $17.00 |
| 2 inch pipe, double-ended w/wires | ||
| and 27 empty 12 inch tubes | 2PVCE | $10.00 |
For the first-timer, this kit is a great start: you get a house, empty nesting tubes, and several tubes of dormant bees to get your population started. You will have enough nesting space for several years with this package.
| Item | Code | Price |
|---|---|---|
| 3 inch pipe, double-ended w/wires | ||
| and 54 empty & 4 full 12 inch tubes | 3PVCEF | $28.00 |
| 2 inch pipe, double-ended w/wires | ||
| and 27 empty & 2 full 12 inch tubes | 2PVCEF | $15.00 |