Help The Bees With A Handmade Bee Resort

Honeybees aren't the only pollinators in trouble these days.

Mason bees and leaf cutters, known as solitary bees, are essential to the pollination of our food supply. And they're under the same modern-day pressures as honey bees from disease, chemical poisoning, and collapse.

It is the solitary bee that does the majority of pollination for our gardens, fruits, vegetables, and flowers. Without a healthy bee population, both honey and solitary, the human population will find it harder and harder to grow food and enjoy the outdoors. - Arthur of the Bees, Arlington Bee Initiative

We can help the bees by giving them safe homes. Or as the founder of the Arlington Bee Initiative puts it, "affordable, sustainable housing."

The Arlington Bee Initiative creates Bee Hotels from reclaimed wood and sells them at cost to local bee-loving folks. You can purchase a Bee Hotel for as little as $5! And, if you need help setting it up, Arthur will walk you through it over a friendly cup of coffee.

The important thing to remember is these are non-stinging varieties. Wasps, hornets, or yellow-jackets are not attracted to these living spaces, as they prefer hive living. Carpenter bees and other varieties also do not like these living arrangements as it is too crowded for their likes. - Arthur of the Bees, Arlington Bee Initiative

Thank you, Arthur, for helping us help the bees!

Read Sustainable NoVA's interview with Arthur of the Bees.

Go the the Arlington Bee Initiative website.