Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

permaculture - Re: OT: Does anyone know of a source of orchard mason bees?

permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: permaculture

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • From: Kelley <amaranth@uninets.net>
  • To: permaculture <permaculture@franklin.oit.unc.edu>
  • Subject: Re: OT: Does anyone know of a source of orchard mason bees?
  • Date: Fri, 02 Apr 1999 15:36:57 -0500


Do they produce honey? Or just pollinate?

Thanks for all of the explanations.

Kelley

Guy Clark wrote:

> Kelley-
> The Orchard Mason Bee is a bee that is tons more efficient in
> pollinating
> than the honey bee. Their scientific name is Osmia Lingaria Propinqua
> Cresson and it is native to the U.S. and Canada West of the Rockies; East
> of the Rockies its cousin, Osmia Lingaria Lingaria Say is widespread. There
> is a wonderfully informative and fun book called The Orchard Mason Bee: The
> Life History, Biology, Propagation and Use of a Truly Benevolent and
> Beneficial Insect by Brian L. Griffin. They are amazing pollinators, "Greg
> Dickman, in his brochure, Orchard Bees", states that the Orchard Mason
> visits more blossoms each day than the honey bee, and pollinates a much
> higher percentage of those blooms visited. He states that the honey bee
> visits an average seven hundred blooms daily. It pollinates only thirty of
> them, a mere five percent success rate. He further claims that our Orchard
> Mason pollinates 1600 flowers per day, a pollination success rate of
> ninety-five to ninety-nine percent." A fully scientific study has not been
> done, but there is little doubt that the Orchard Mason be is an extremely
> efficient pollinator. And they begin much earlier in the spring.
> Namaste',
> Guy Clark
>
> ---
> You are currently subscribed to permaculture as: amaranth@uninets.net
> To unsubscribe send a blank email to $subst('Email.Unsub')







Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page