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 ...

With national pollinator week approaching later this month, it is important to recognize the variety of pollinators that exist in addition to honeybees. For those who want to take steps to support a ...

McKelvie is a spokesperson for Rent Mason Bees, a Washington state, family-owned company that rents and ships Mason bees to pollinator-loving gardeners. “We’re the only company in the country that ...

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 ...

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 ...

Honeybees, which are tasked with pollinating many of the agricultural crops in the United States, are dying off in record numbers. Commercial beekeepers are reporting losses this year ranging between ...

(Beyond Pesticides, April 13, 2021) A new study is making it increasingly clear that current laws are not protecting wild, ground nesting bees from the hazards of neonicotinoid insecticides. According ...

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 ...