Mason Bee Time!

You may notice a small black box hanging at the arbor at the B-patch. These are our guest mason bees from Rent Mason Bees.  A few words from Missy AKA The Queen Bee:

"Remember the 80's movie Field of Dreams?  Well, I liken myself to that corn farmer; I have built the boxes believing people will come learn about these bees.  We are Team GAP (Gardeners Adding Pollinators) and you are all now members. 

You have come down from the bleachers and are on the playing field.  You know the rules of the game and you can make a difference in your own yard and by spreading the word about these marvelous native pollinators"

Hopefully, we can have Missy come and give her Bee Buzz (Talk) to our gardeners soon. Very interesting lady.
And before anyone gets all abuzz about mason bees:

Mason Bees:

• are solitary. There is only one bee per nest, not thousands.

• are native to North America whereas honeybees are not.

• rarely sting.

• are early spring bees & emerge about the time cherries bloom.

• fly at a low 54 degrees F. Honeybees fly at 57-59 degrees F.

• forage earlier in the morning and later in the afternoon than honeybees.

• use holes in wood or nesting tubes for egg laying

are low maintenance and require only a small bee house with a VERY low start up cost!
and remember mason bees do not sting! So don't be scared of them

In fact the mason bees look more like flies than bees.

Inside their home, the tubes and the holes in the wood each have one mason bee nest.