(Sound on for additional bee communication)
this post was submitted on 05 Apr 2026
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Please tell me more!
I tried setting up a small bee box for mason bees last year but received no visitors. Any advice? It's a small premade kit from our local garden shop. It comes with tubes and a sheltered post I've added in the corner of the yard near some mud they could fill the tubes with
I am attempting to landscape my yard for pollinators. I'd like to build a hive for bumblebees as well someday
I think if its not well visited, there is no demand/customers. Are there other small holes/pipes anywhere near the site that they already use?
Maybe its because of the mass species extinction happening right now..
That's sad :( I live in suburbia so I can't really see everything in my neighbors yard or control how they use pesticides.
The yard closest to the bee box is filled with fruit trees and grape vines which I would think was cool if I was a bee.
The far yard is just boring grass likely drenched in roundup or something for dandelions
I would suggest let it hang, some guests arent visible at first like spiders.
Maybe they just didnt find it? I wish you good luck
Insect populations are down 90% since the 90s. Wordwide. That is multiple studies, it's true. Frogs are fucked too. Something(s) are fundamentally wrong, and herbicides are a big part of that.
I've noticed a sharp decline in bee activity in my neighborhood in just the last few years. It's very sad. :(
I have gotten a bit of a Resurgence on my property since I got it a number of years ago. I had a handful of Monarch butterflies last year, the previous year I had one. I've moved my lawn once in 5 years and raked zero. But it is like 95% Woods.
My frogs are fucked - thanks to a visiting heron. No spawn, no idea if the adults have survived. I've had the pond for about ten years, and the frogs found it almost immediately. The heron visits started last year.
Most of the Frog decline is due to herbicides and other endocrine disruptors though, as low as several parts per billion in the water can wipe out frog populations, rendering them hermaphroditic and sterile. That said, I have large swamps around me that are completely absent to frogs, and it is in the State and National forest, there should not be that level of pollution to wipe them out, I was thinking about netting some tadpoles and introducing them there from nearby. Frogs make a huge difference in controlling mosquitoes, the tadpoles eat mosquito larvae.
Might wanna check with the rangers and park authority. It would be better to do that as a well researched conservation project, rather than just moving a bunch of tadpoles from one pond to another.
But it does sound like a noble effort, and kinda fun.
The Rangers do not care, and the neighbors are all gun toting Hicks many of which shoot and poison everything on purpose. If it is nearby it's got to be a native or naturalized frog, I'm only talking about moving them like a mile or less. I would much prefer to be able to test the water to see what might be killing them but that's just not in the cards here.
No issues with mosquitos here in Scotland, lol. I had maybe a dozen very healthy frogs in my pond, with great piles of spawn every spring and tadpoles galore. Then one morning last year I opened my curtains to see a heron standing in the pond. It's been back again this month. I can't really cover the pond, because the frogs need to come and go. Several herons live along a nearby estuary, and I guess this one happened to spot my pond one sunny day.
That tracks on the mosquitoes, mountainous areas drain too fast for them to proliferate like in the uppee midwest us here and our stagnant swamps.
I have known people with like goldfish and coy ponds in their Gardens that have had herons stop by and clean them out.
Maybe you could try a scarecrow or something.
Consider getting a fake decoy heron, apparently they can be dissuaded from intruding on another's turf!
Excellent suggestion!!! Thank you.
Make sure you are planting native species. Native bees don't get what they need from the 'pretty' plants you buy at big box store
Yes, we are going for exclusively native plants (except the plants planted by the previous home owners)
You can order mason bees online. Order some before spring next year. They're adorable when they first emerge from their cocoons--so tiny.
I think I'll do this! I'm not sure if there are any mason bees actually around here but plenty of other species
How deep is it? I bought a cheap pre-made one from a bargain shop before learning they need to be about 15cm deep to help them avoid predators, else it's very unlikely anything will want to visit
It's fairly deep. It has premade tubes that are pretty long and you can swap out each year but they got wet over winter so I'm a little glad nobody moved in this year at least
Maybe there's not a good enough reason for them to be near it in the first place?
There are a bunch of flowering bushes I see bees frequently visit but I'm not sure on mason bees in particular
Is there any mud nearby? If not, you can mix some up and leave it near the bee house for the mason bees to build with.
Also, plant early pollinators.
Are you killing your dandelions and other pollinators that we call weeds for stupid reasons?
We leave the dandelions for as long as possible without angering the neighbors who appreciate dandelions less
We would always get an HOA violation notice, then we'd have 30 days to do something, so I just waited 29 days then took a picture and sent it. Rinse and repeat as they can't do anything if it's not for the exact same violation. I hate HOAs so much and will abuse their stupid system as best as I am able.