Native bee houses are valuable tools for research, conservation, and education

Native bee houses, consisting of nesting tubes, support a diversity of solitary bees including leafcutter, mason, and resin bees. The modular design and annual cycle of the houses makes them ideal for researching nesting preferences, diversity, parasites, and diseases of native tunnel-nesting bees. They are also valuable tools for students of all ages to learn about lifecycles, the science practices, and abiotic and biotic impacts on survival. Since 2018, we have been using native bee houses to determine: 1) insect use and preferences (tube materials, size, house locations), 2) cocoon abundance and emergence rates, 3) parasitism rates, and 4) relationship between pollen and gut microbiome. Houses with diverse sizes and types of tubes are mounted for colonization annually in February, tubes are retrieved each fall for cocoon counting, cleaning, and overwintering, and bees are identified and released as they emerge from the cocoons in the spring. We have documented 1,192 total cocoons over the 4 years supporting 20 species of insects (5-12 species annually), the majority of which are two Osmia species. Houses established for the longest amount of time have the highest colonization rates, and bees show a preference for medium paper tubes. Key parasites include cuckoo wasps, chalcids, and wedge-shaped beetles. This research provides insights into bee biology for K12 STEAM lessons on native bees that we have developed and implemented in garden-based science learning, with the objective of engaging youth in pollinator conservation.