We are the only company in the country that brings backyard gardeners and farmers together with our solitary bee rental program. Our relationships with local farms would not be possible without our backyard hosts! Each host that helps us raise bees through our rental program has a direct impact on the continued success of using mason and leafcutter bees to pollinate crops.
Our parent company, Watts Solitary Bees, has been working with farmers for over 65 years to pollinate crops and grow more food. When solitary bees are used with honeybees, farmers see more yield in their crops and they reduce the strain placed on honeybees.
Your bees help farmers pollinate: apples, blueberries, almonds, pears, cherries, alfalfa and other crops across the U.S.
Our orchard kits contain six nesting locations per acre with solitary bees released at the center point of each acre.
Mason bees are so efficient, it only takes about 400 females to pollinate an entire acre. That amount of work would required at least 40,000 honey bees!
The farmers we work with know that monocultures can restrict access to food for foraging bees. That’s why our partner farms are planting hedgerow flowers in between their crops to provide extra foraging resources for the bees throughout the entire spring season.
In addition to providing more bee-friendly food on farms, farmers are adopting more sustainable practices regarding the use of chemicals.
Mason bees are extremely susceptible to harsh chemicals used to control weeds and pests. To participate in our pollination program, farmers are now adopting safer practices in order to protect and support their mason bee pollinators.
This video was produced by one of the organic almond orchards we provide mason bees to in central California showcasing their work towards creating a bee-friendly farm.
