Pollinators like the blue orchard bee live in a natural symbiosis with farmers, because crops rely on them to reproduce. In return, the pollinators receive flower nectar that gives them energy to fly.

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 ...

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 ...

We’ve gotten through the holiday season and I’m beginning to hear people talk about spring. While the warmer weather is still a ways off, it is time to think about installing nesting boxes for some of ...

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) ...