OMB House
The Orchard Mason bee is found over most of the country,
it's a small solitary black bee, non aggressive, and perhaps the most efficient native pollinator there is...
To attract these bees to your yard you should provide plants that bloom in the spring, and housing...
Here's how to make them a house...
You'll need a length of 4"x4" cedar post, usually sold in 8 foot lengths....
a 5/16" Brad point drill bit (you can use the standard high speed steel)
&
A Drill...
mark a line down the center of the face of one side of the post, then a line one inch on either side, now mark across the post every inch, this should give you 24 drill marks for every 2 feet of post....
Use your drill to drill a hole 3" deep at every line intersection...
Mount the post firmly (OMB's don't like to swing) where it will receive morning sun, and preferably dappled shade during the rest of the day....
You can tell if your house is being used when little mud caps appear on top of the little holes you drilled....
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