bee -- mortar bees? -- activity seen in exterior walls in springtime - Ask Extension
Hello!
Around this time each spring, we see bees going in and out of small holes in the mortar between stones on the front of our house, located in...
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bee -- mortar bees? -- activity seen in exterior walls in springtime #825195
Asked April 11, 2023, 2:07 PM EDT
Hello!
Around this time each spring, we see bees going in and out of small holes in the mortar between stones on the front of our house, located in Worthington. It seems to be a relatively short window of time that they are around. We don't want to harm the bees, but have wondered if there's a humane way to get rid of them. Or is it okay to let them stay? There's no harm that we can see, aside from the small holes they enter and exit through, though we are concerned they may be doing damage inside the walls.
We would love to hear any suggestions you may have!
Thanks,
Kate
Franklin County Ohio
Expert Response
Greetings,
You are describing the behavior of the mason bee, also known as a mortar bee as they have been known to make a nest in the cracks between bricks and such or use mud like mortar to build a nest. If that is the species they are pollinators and harmless to people. Hard to say if they are doing damage to the house as they usually use existing cracks as a nest unlike a carpenter bee that would drill a hole in wood. Here is a fact sheet on them plus a bee ID guide you can use to verify species.
https://ccesuffolk.org/agriculture/know-your-mason-bees
https://camp-joy.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Bees-and-Wasps-of-Ohio-Guide.pdf
Thanks,
Tim
You are describing the behavior of the mason bee, also known as a mortar bee as they have been known to make a nest in the cracks between bricks and such or use mud like mortar to build a nest. If that is the species they are pollinators and harmless to people. Hard to say if they are doing damage to the house as they usually use existing cracks as a nest unlike a carpenter bee that would drill a hole in wood. Here is a fact sheet on them plus a bee ID guide you can use to verify species.
https://ccesuffolk.org/agriculture/know-your-mason-bees
https://camp-joy.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Bees-and-Wasps-of-Ohio-Guide.pdf
Thanks,
Tim
