Скачать или смотреть Orchard Mason Bees: Get your houses up now!

Orchard Mason Bees: Get your houses up now!
The shiny, metallic-colored Mason bee is such an effective, native pollinator that it is being raised commercially to help pollinate U.S. orchards. We can encourage our local Orchard Mason Bees by providing man-made habitats in which they willingly take up residence! They prefer hollow stemmed reeds in which to lay their eggs. You can collect grass stems of Phragmites or, as you will see in this video, stems of the invasive, Japanese Knotweed. Bundle them up and slide them in a waterproof, horizontally mounted shelter that faces the East or South. The size diameter can vary between ¼-3/8”, let the bee shop the size she likes for egg-laying. She only has one generation of offspring per year so lend a hand!

Joyce Browning Horticulturist, Master Gardener Coordinator
Video credit: Bethany Evans Longwood Gardens Professional Gardener Program Alumni; CPH

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