Native to North America, our orchard mason bees are raised in the Pacific Northwest. As their name implies, orchard mason bees are excellent pollinators of orchards. We carefully harvest them in the late autumn, sort them for viability, clean them to eliminate mites and feces, and then store them in a carefully controlled environment for our customers. More females increases the chance of higher reproduction rate. That is why our mason bee cocoons as a mix of at least 40% female to 60% male. One hundred cocoons is a good count for a pollinating a large backyard or small orchard.
We strongly advise shipping these by priority mail or faster. Cocoons can emerge in transit if they are warmed up for several days. Now we are in the hatching season (March-April) it is crucial to minimize shipping time.