The Amazing Pollinator
My Story
After my retirement I developed a passion for our environment and Mason Bees. Over the years, I researched the internet and purchased my own Mason Bees, which I set up on my brother's farm.
I found bees interesting because of the many challenges they are now facing for survival. We are in great danger of losing our bees, which we so badly need for food supply.
Bees pollinate one out of every three bites of food we enjoy. All bees are now challenged by our environment, predators and climate change. We must do our part to help these amazing pollinators to survive.
Compared to the Honey Bee, Mason Bees are much easier to maintain and so much fun to watch! That is why I chose Mason Bees over Honey Bees. I wanted a hobby, not a job.
I am now doing what I love, which is working for nature and helping protect our food supply. Plus, the bees are so interesting to watch as they are working.
My Mason Bee Homes
A few years ago, I designed and built my own Mason Bee homes with nesting blocks. I wanted these homes to be practical, effective, educational and easy to clean. I designed each home to have two viewing planks where the bees can be observed while they are hard at work. This feature is very popular, especially with children.
Mason Bee nesting blocks come apart, which makes them very easy to clean and remove all predators that are in the Mason Bee nest.
My planks are between 7.5 to 8 inches long. This is necessary to get a good crop of female Mason Bees. Shorter planks will produce a larger crop of male Mason Bees, who do not pollinate.
My Mason Bee homes and nesting blocks can be reused continuously year after year without having to spend any additional cost.
This year I am expanding my project of placing my Mason Bee homes with nesting blocks in city parks and public spaces. I do this service for free. I personally finance this important project by using the proceeds of the sale of my Mason Bee homes and nesting blocks.
By placing my Mason Bee homes in public places, I am hoping to make more people aware of the Mason Bee and create awareness of this amazing pollinator that we need so badly for the environment and food supply. I am always looking for new public locations to place my Mason Bee homes. These locations must be safe from vandalism and well-suited for the Mason Bees.
Saving our environment one bee at a time!
