This has been a season of firsts. I love to try new things and this year I’ve experimented with new styles of pollinator housing, three new types of comb honey supers, new honey bee feeders, new watering methods, and many new bee plants. Of all the bee plants on my list, I was most excited […] Read more
Most of us who want to attract native bees to our yards and gardens do so by providing housing in the form of tubes, straws, hollow reeds, or drilled wood. While there is nothing wrong with this, the irony is that fully 70%—or nearly three-quarters—of all bee species live underground. Above ground cavities are completely […] Read more
The problem with bumble bee boxes is getting the bees to move in. Depending on the type of house and the location, average occupancy rates range from about 10% to 60%, but the number I see most often is 30%. So how can you in increase it? One thing obvious about bumble bees is that […] Read more
The conventional wisdom about nesting blocks is that you take a 5/16-inch bit and drill holes that are roughly 5-10 inches long. This will attract orchard mason bees, which is typically what people are trying to do with nesting blocks. But recently my whole attitude toward these blocks was changed by Michael Burgett, Emeritus Professor […] Read more
If you’ve made or purchased a bumble bee box, you are probably wondering where to put it and how to attract tenants. I’ve scanned dozens of documents looking for the secret formula and learned that location is the most important criterion, followed by nesting material. Moisture control runs a close third. Even so, most bumble […] Read more
“Capital Growth” is a project that has nothing to do with money and everything to do with creating a better environment. It’s a project I’ve been watching for two years, always wondering how I might bring it to American shores. The project began in 2009 in the capital city of London. The idea was to […] Read more
Of all the bees native to North America, about 30% use some kind of tunnel in which to lay their eggs. The diameter of the tunnels, as well as their preferred length, varies with the different species of bee. So, to attract a wide variety of native bees, it is best to use a wide […] Read more