You may have heard about the worldwide honey bee problems (colony collapse disorder) which are affecting pollination of fruit and other crops worldwide. Now more than ever our local native pollinators are important. I have been experimenting with and trapping native pollinators, mostly mason bees. I have learned a great deal about them including which artificial nests are preferred. I may possibly have even discovered an undocumented sub-species of local solitary bee (I'm far from an expert of course). There are hundreds of species of solitary bees in North America, and they are actually far better pollinators than honey bees on a bee for bee basis (the honey bee is not native to North America by the way, it was imported, but in their defense they make for good pollinators due to their massive numbers per hive, plus they make delicious and nutritious honey so don't get me wrong, I love honey bees too!).

Solitary bees like very specific sized holes for nest building, if you observe them for a while and provide them with choices, they will soon tell you exactly what they like:

(That's a fire extinguisher if you couldn't figure that out. Boy will that dormant bee be shocked if I have to put out a fire!)

Anyway, I am happy to report that my bees do a fantastic job of pollinating my fruit trees. I hope to post more pictures of my bees, their cocoons, and of course my homemade nest blocks. I'll also share how I care for them and how I deal with mites. Stay tuned...