Backyard Scientists
Teach Kids About Pollinators & Where Their Food Comes From
Solitary bees are amazing pollinators and kids love to watch these friendly, non-stinging bees. Help your kids become Backyard Scientists by teaching them the difference between honeybees and mason bees, how pollinators make their food, about their ecosystem, and how to care for ALL pollinators. We have created printable workbooks and worksheets and a video library to teach kids.
FUN FACTS:
- MERMAID BEE – Mason bees have an iridescent sheen that looks like a glimmery mermaid tail.
- BELLY FLOPPERS – Honeybees carefully collect pollen on their back legs, whereas mason bees BELLY FLOP onto flowers and get pollen all over their bodies.
- BEE AMAZED! – Mason bees pollinate 95% of the flowers they land on.
- HARD WORKERS – Mason bees visit up to 2,000 flowers a day.
- HELP HONEYBEES – They co-exist with honeybees and help reduce the stressful demand placed on honeybee colonies.
- WORK ALONE – Solitary bees work by themselves, find their own food, build their own nest and lay eggs.
- APPLES, BLUEBERRIES, ALMONDS, PEARS & CHERRIES – The food you eat was made by a pollinator.
RENT MASON BEES is the only company in the country that brings families and farmers together with their bee rental program. They achieve this by finding families who want to host non-stinging bees to pollinate their yard. Solitary bees are the easiest bees to host because they are low maintenance and kids will enjoy watching these fuzzy, friendly bees hard at work.
HOW TO HOST – Purchase a mason bee kit, which includes 50-60 mason bee cocoons. Hang up the bee house and insert the nesting block. When the weather warms up, bees will emerge, pollinate your yard and lay eggs. By fall, the baby larva weaves a cocoon and hibernates over winter. It’s very important to clean cocoons and nesting blocks every year to remove predators that are harmful to mason bee populations. That’s where the renting part comes in. In the fall, you mail nesting block back to Rent Mason Bees and they do all the cleaning. The following spring, your bees are sent to farmers to help pollinate orchards and increase food production. YOUR BEES MAKE FOOD!
About Rent Mason Bees
Rent Mason Bees works with three species of bees across the U.S.: blue orchard & hornfaced mason bees and leafcutter bees. They are a division of Watts Solitary Bees, which is family owned and operated for over 56 years. Rent Mason Bees program offers a way to be involved in your food sources and promote healthier urban and rural ecosystems with a minimal commitment. By utilizing gardeners, farmers are able to use these solitary bees to grow more food. www.rentmasonbees.com
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SOURCE: Rent Mason Bees and PR Newswire
