Mason bees and honey bees are different in all characteristics. Honey bees and Mason bees are the same in color. But Mason female and male bees are different in color. Male bees are black with some orange spots on the thorax, while females are brown and orange. Both male Masons and female Masons have hair on their bodies. Osmia belongs to the family Megachilidae. They are the native bees of some Asian countries and America. People called mason bees solitary names because of their nesting habits. In terms of difference, mason bees are different from other bees because of their nesting and pollination habits. Some information about honey bees vs mason bees is written in this article.
Similarities b/t Honey Bees & Mason Bees
| 1 | Both female bees are stingy, and male bees are not. |
| 2 | Both do pollination. And important for our environment as pollinators. |
| 3 | Mason bees and honey bees sting. |
| 4 | The male bees of both bees live shorter lives than the females. |
| 5 | Beekeepers like to work with both bees, one as a pollinator and the other as a process of making honey. |
Mason Bee (masonry)
Usually, all worker bees live for 6 to 7 weeks. But queen bees live a maximum of 1 year. Researchers concluded that the age of mason bees is 4 to 5 weeks. In early February, the female bee lays eggs and collects pollen for the developing larvae. At this stage, the female bee leaves the nest to mature. In two months, the young grow and feed on the pollen that is stored by the female bees. When their ovaries mature, they go back to the nest. Egg, larva, pupa, and adult. Each young person passes through these four stages during development.
14 Facts About Honey Bees
| 1 | Honey bees produce honey. |
| 2 | A single queen bee produces 1 spoon of honey in his life. |
| 3 | Each honey bee visits 10000 flowers in a day for pollen and nectar. |
| 4 | Honeybees have queen workers, and drones all perform different functions. |
| 5 | Drones bees mate 1time with queen bees; after doing this, they will die. |
| 6 | Worker bees collect pollen and nectars and build hives. |
| 7 | Queen bees lay eggs for new young. |
| 8 | Workers and drones live in Spain for only a few weeks. |
| 9 | Queen honey bees live for 1 or 2 years. |
| 10 | Queen bees are more aggressive than workers and drones. |
| 11 | Honey bees live in whole groups. |
| 12 | Bees store honey for the winter. |
| 13 | Honeybees have the ability to defend their nest. |
| 14 | Honey bees sting only one time in his life. |
Mason Bee Nesting Habits
Mason bees can’t build nests for living. They live in holes that are in the ground and walls or woods. They cannot do anything to build their nests like honey bees. Some mason bee species live in artificial nests called mason bees nesting tubes. These tubes are long enough for mason bees, which are best for mason bees in winter.
Those beekeepers who work with mason bees use tubes as hives for mason bees. They change the inner side of the tube nest every season. Mason bees have many artificial hives like paper straws and cardboard. Mason bees like to lay eggs in these hives.
Honey Bee Nesting habits
Honey bees’ nests are different from mason bees. Honeybees build their own nest or hive by using beeswax. All honey bees, like worker bees, forager bees, and queen bees, build nests. When the population of bees in a hive increases, the new queen bees leave their existing hive and form a new hive. Honey bees make honey which they eat in winter. Honey bees create beeswax, which helps them to warm in winter. The name of the hive is honey bee nests. All beekeepers worldwide work with honey bees; they build many hives for honey bees.
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Honey Bees Colony vs Mason Bees Colony
Honeybees create a colony. The main function of the colony is to help bees to survive in winter. A single honey bee colony has 5000 bees. Queen honey bees lay 1000 eggs in a day is the main survival part of the colony. However, a female mason bee lays 30 eggs in his life.
Mason Bees vs Honey Bees Pollination
Why are mason bees better at pollination than honey bees?
| 1 | According to bee experts, mason bees take better pollination than honey bees. Honey bees cannot pick low-sugar nectars. Buy mason bees collect all types of nectars. |
| 2 | Mason bees work as fast as possible; they visit quickly from flower to flower. Honey bees fly fast only when flying straight. |
| 3 | Honey bees cannot survive in cold weather and cannot collect nectars in cold weather. Still, mason bees collect nectars in any weather. |
| 4 | Bees have a basket to collect pollen. They collect pollen from any of their legs and have the ability to press the nectar into baskets. Mason bees collect nectars using their body hair called scopa and press pollen on the basket with their hind legs. |
| 5 | According to USDA, 90,000 honey bees do the same pollination as 300 mason bees which is a big difference. |
Honey Making Difference
The difference between honey bees and mason bees is a big difference. Honey bees make honey. Honey bees use their pollen and nectars to make honey. Those nectars that honey bees collect are stored in a basket. Honey bees use their special honey stomach to convert this pollen and nectar into honey. Mason bees do not make honey because they do not have honey-making baskets. Mason bees eat pollen and nectar, unlike honey bees.
Honey Bee Sting vs Mason Bee Sting
Bees use stingers for protection. Bees which produce honey are more stingy than honey bees. Female honey bees are aggressive. Honey bee stings are much more powerful than mason bees. Both sting once in his life. Mason bees do not like to sting but sting when they feel unsafe. Mason bees cannot produce, so they cannot be aggressive. Both honey bees and mason bees are the first to warn their enemies. Usually, both sting when someone is close to their hive.
Feeding Difference
All bees like to eat sweet things. Honey bees and mason bees are fed different things. Honey bees are fed pollen and nectars, and they also eat the honey that they produce. If the mason bees produce honey, they eat it, but they don’t, so they eat the nectar that the mason bees collect. Larvae and young bees also feed on nectar.
Conclusion
All bee species have different habits. Honey bees vs mason bees are different in size, color, and many other habits. Honey bees’ honey making process is different from mason bees. People like honey bee because of their honey making habit. But mason bees are the world’s best pollinators, all bees, which are beneficial for our crops and plants.