Gardeners often consider actively managing pollination to ensure a bountiful harvest or vibrant flower display. If you wish to introduce specific, managed bee populations rather than relying solely on native insects, the answer is yes: you can purchase bees for your garden. This practice involves buying either solitary, tunnel-nesting bees or established social colonies, each offering distinct advantages for targeted pollination and maximizing the productivity of your garden ecosystem.
Identifying Suitable Pollinator Species for Gardens
The primary choices for purchased garden pollinators are solitary bees and social honeybees. Solitary bees, such as Mason bees (\(Osmia\) spp.), are often recommended for home gardens. They are docile, do not form aggressive hives, and are highly efficient pollinators. Mason bees are active early in the spring, emerging when temperatures reach 50–55°F, making them superb for pollinating fruit trees and early-season berries.
Leafcutter bees (\(Megachile\) spp.) are another type of solitary bee purchased for garden use, specializing in summer pollination. These bees become active later in the season, preferring temperatures above 70°F, and are excellent for crops like melons, squash, peas, and tomatoes. Both Mason and Leafcutter bees are considered “messy” pollinators. They carry pollen dry on their abdominal hairs, resulting in greater transfer between flowers compared to honeybees.
For a more intensive commitment, you can purchase the social European honeybee (\(Apis\) \(mellifera\)). They are typically acquired as a nucleus colony (nuc) or a package. A nuc is a small, established colony including a mated queen, worker bees, brood, and food stores, ready for transfer into a full-sized hive. Honeybees are generalist pollinators and produce honey, but they require specialized equipment, more space, and significantly more management than solitary bees. Solitary bees remain within a few hundred feet of their nesting site, concentrating efforts in your garden, while honeybees forage over a much wider area.
Logistics of Sourcing and Introducing Purchased Bees
Acquiring managed bees requires foresight, often involving orders placed months in advance of the desired release date. Solitary bees are generally purchased as dormant cocoons from online suppliers, garden centers, or specialized local breeders. Mason bee cocoons should be ordered in the winter for late winter or early spring delivery, timing their release to coincide with the first spring blossoms.
Leafcutter bee cocoons are purchased and released later in the season, usually in late spring or early summer, when warm-weather crops begin to flower. Upon receiving solitary bee cocoons, place them in a small container or release box near the permanent nesting structure. The bees will naturally emerge from the cocoons and begin their work when the ambient temperature is right.
Honeybees are purchased either as a bee package—a screened box containing a queen and several thousand worker bees—or a nucleus colony. These purchases are often managed through local beekeeping associations or commercial apiaries. Honeybee colonies are installed directly into a full-sized, prepared hive structure in the garden. Installation typically occurs in early to mid-spring to allow the colony time to build strength before the main nectar flow and winter.
Creating and Maintaining a Supportive Bee Habitat
Once purchased bees are introduced, their continued success and reproduction depend on creating a supportive habitat. Solitary bees require specific nesting materials. While commercial “bee hotels” exist, the most effective option uses removable and replaceable components like natural reeds, cardboard tubes, or wooden nesting trays. These materials should have a diameter of approximately 8 millimeters for Mason bees and slightly smaller for Leafcutter bees.
The nesting structure must be mounted on a sturdy surface, such as a wall or post. Position it to receive morning sun, ideally facing south or southeast, and protect it from wind and rain with an overhang. Bees are ectothermic, relying on morning sun exposure to warm up and begin foraging earlier. The nesting tubes must be a minimum of six inches long to encourage female bees to lay more female eggs, which are placed in the innermost cells.
To ensure the bees stay and reproduce, they require specific resources within 100 to 300 feet of the nesting site. Mason bees need a source of moist, clay-rich mud to seal their nesting cells. Leafcutter bees require soft, non-fibrous leaves, such as those from roses, lilacs, or hostas, for their nests. Long-term management involves harvesting, cleaning, and storing the cocoons in the fall, typically in October or November, which reduces the buildup of pests and diseases for the following season.