The Orchard Mason Bee: The Life History, Biology, Propagation, and Use of a North American Native Bee

I went through this book fast. It was as fascinating as it was informative on the subject of the Mason Bee. With the information I learned I will be able to successfully raise Mason Bees. I had what I thought was a big fly going into my shed last Spring. I soon realized after looking closer that it was in fact a bee burrowing into a hole in a 1" plywood board. After surfing the net, I found out it was a Mason Bee. Many blogs on the subject recommended that I drill 1/4" or 5/16' holes to promote more nesting. I did, but I only had a standard length drill bit. After running across Brian's book, I ordered it and read through it. He stresses throughout his book that to produce more females for egg laying, the holes should be 6" long to increase the chances for more females. So, my point is, there are many suggestions and observations written that would enhance the "Mason Bee farmer's" chances of being more successful at producing large numbers of Mason Bees. I had 6 Mason Bee females nest in the holes I drilled last Spring. I will be ready next Spring with the "BeeObserver Mason Bee House w/20 nesting tubes. The bees should make their way out of the Plywood nesting holes I made. Hopefully the females will nest in the Mason Bee house next Spring. The book has caricature pen and ink drawings only. I wish the book would of had close up photos of the bees; that's why I gave it 4 stars. Still a fine book on the subject.

The media could not be loaded.  Brian Griffin has written a delightful and informative book about his discovery of the Orchard Mason Bee and his subsequent research experiences. Part primer and part research project, it is always interesting as he lends a personal touch to all he recounts. Since we are engaged in a similar research project, I found his discussion of the difference between preferences for 1/4 inch diameter tubes versus 5/8 inch diameter tubes fascinating. He closed it exceptionally well, when he brought in the "expert", [the late] Dr. Phillip Torchio, to settle the matter.

This is a very informative book, and the seller had fast shipping.

I enjoyed the book and found that it would be good for a gardener or someone who is just slightly interested in starting to get into raising a native bee. I would say that it's not very scientific. The author does cite some science and papers occasionally. The author does state their bias through some of the book as well.

This is a very informative little book that is an interesting read. Glad I purchased it.

Wonderful book and an easy read. This book piqued my interest in North American Bees so much that I have since read more technical books and I have become an advocate of bee habitats and pollinators. Thanks to all I have learned about the mason bee, I am looking forward to mounting a "hive" in my garden next spring.

I found the product very useful to set up a Mason bee area with water clay and housing hopefully to lure more bees to pollinate my garden.

This book is an absolute wealth of information about an amazing pollinator. It is clear that Brian Griffin is a foremost authority on the Orchard Mason Bee by his own well documented experience and by his well annotated research by other very respected sources. I highly recommend this book as an invaluable resource for anyone with an interest in cultivating and advancing such an interesting species.

Interesting facts.

This is an easy to read reference for anyone interested in native pollinators. It was written before wide spread use of the Internet and general public awareness of the importance of bees to human survival. There is a lot of useful and useless information about the orchard mason bee on the Internet. For most gardeners, or those interested in nature, this book contains all you probably need to know.