21 Acres: Mason Bees - Powerful Puget Sound Pollinators

Did you know mason bees improve the pollination of plants and trees in your yard, especially fruit trees? Would you like to have extra pollinators around earlierin the spring? Are you interested in increasing the biodiversity of your yard by hosting non-stinging native bees on your property? Please stop by 21 Acres and hear Missy Anderson from King County Master Gardeners as she offers her perspectives on raising Orchard Mason Bees. Come and learn about the value mason bees bring to your garden and how easy it is to host them in a nesting box in your back yard. You’ll be right on track to get started this spring.

Instructor Missy Anderson:
Missy has been on the Master Gardener’s speaker’s bureau since 2006. She travels around King & Snohomish counties spreading the word about the marvelous mason bee. She speaks regularly at local nurseries, retail food establishments, as well as classrooms (kindergarten to high school), scout troops, garden clubs, and private neighborhood gatherings. She has been rearing bees for over a decade and recently started a business to offer the public the chance to rent nesting boxes and mason bees.

Key features of the class:
For folks who are not enamored with the thought of raising honey bees, the orchard mason bee is a great alternative. Smaller than honey bees, mason bees are native to almost all of North America and, while they don’t produce honey, they are exceptional garden pollinators and increase biotic diversity. As far as their behavior around children and pets, they are as innocuous as a summer shower. When you provide a home for mason bees in your yard, they conduct early season pollination and you encourage food plant pollination and increased food production.

Registration and Enrollment:
Fee for a guest is $5. There are three ways to register; online at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/21-acres-mason-bees-powerful-puget-sound-pollinators-tickets-10594176467, by e-mailing deb@21acres.org or by calling us at 425-481-1500.