permaculture

["Guy Clark" <guyclark@socket.net>]

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