Bees need us and we need them. In your yard, plant a succession of spring, summer and fall flowering plants so bees have a continual source of nectar. In return, they help pollinate plants in our home ...

Bzzzzzz. Give a bee a break, will ya? Everyone gets all excited to see honeybees in action, but it's really the orchard mason bee that does all the heavy lifting around here. Find out why the mason ...

BAINBRIDGE ISLAND – Thyra McKelvie holds a blue box laden with small cocoons and tiny, sluggish blue orchard mason bees waking up from their time in refrigeration. They're moving slowly now, but soon ...

MASON BEES ARE SMALL. They don’t look like what we think a bee should look like and in fact more closely resemble a fly, although some are an attractive metallic greenish-blue. While they might live ...

Mason bees are “adorable little bees gaining popularity with gardeners and farmers because of how easy they are to care for and their incredible pollination skills,” she says. “Before honeybees were ...

You've been reading about the shortage of honeybees. Now, the dwarf fruit trees you bought last winter are in full bloom. It's too late for the urban gardener to worry about bees this year, but you ...

Insects play an important role in our ecosystem and many species are beneficial to our gardens. Usually, insects will find their own homes in our yards and garden, but we can also help and encourage ...

If you’re like many home gardeners, you may have added fruit trees to your garden in the past two years. Maybe a peach or an apricot, or even a few citrus or dwarf avocado. Maybe you’re more into ...

Rent Mason Bees’ Mason bee kits ($60) include a Mason bee house, nesting block, bag of clay, pollinator flower seeds, and 50 to 60 Mason bee cocoons sent in spring. The pollinator package ($95) ...