Bees

We are looking at next year before we can bring in honey bees(they need to be moved in March, I believe) and even then we will need to have them some distance from the road. A bee that is 200 times more productive then the honey bee for pollinating and is a naturally occurring bee in all 48 states is the Orchard Mason Bee. It can be set loose in green houses also as it will not sting unless agitated. Miller catalog has cheap housing for them and in time they will come on their own as they are local. We can buy the bees from other sources also, but must be done before April. You might go to the Internet to find out more about these wonder bees widely used on the coasts for orchards. I think we should consider trying to start our own colony mainly because of the expense and effectiveness of the bee.

gary