Yes, that's right -- I said bees!

Certain kinds of bees can be harmless, good for the environment, simple to encourage, and very entertaining.

Read more

Sells limited amounts of packaged orchard mason bees and hornfaced bees and a great deal of bee-related supplies. It has a great deal of helpful information, some of which is geared towards the novice and some towards the experienced bee keeper.

Supplier of orchard mason bees, supplies, and related products. The best information you're going to find for a novice!

This description is written clearly and is not very long or encyclopedic in tone. It covers basic kinds of solitary bees: carpenter, miner, cuckoo, leaf-cutter, and mason.

There is no worker class among solitary bees, but only fully developed males and females. Each female builds a nest in a protected place. Although many nests may be found close together each female solitary bee provides for her own young and gathers her own food. Like all wild bees, solitary bees are chiefly valuable as pollinators of plants.

Image: Public Domain

Wondering how to attract toads to your porch or patio?

Native toads are great for the environment, eating several kinds of pesky insects. And, no, toads do not give you warts.

If you have a ground-level outdoor area, a few simple tips to attract toads:

Read more

The presentation provides an overview of the importance, life history, and conservation of crop-pollinating native bees. Also included is information on the great things the NRCS is doing for pollinator conservation in the U.S.

From National Geographic:

This summer scientists hope to finally crack the case of the mysterious ailment afflicting bats in the U.S. Northeast—before time runs out for the animals and the local environment.

Want to know why bats are important? See Attracting Helpful Bats Good for the Environment, You, and the Bats.

This week's link roundup topic is the dragonfly. Hope you enjoy these links!

Read more

You don't necessarily need a large pond to attract dragonflies. "I've got friends whose 'pond' is a wooden half barrel," says Biggs, "and fork-tailed damselflies still come and breed in it. One of my grad students reared damselflies in plastic wading pools." Whatever the size, place your pond where it will be protected from wind and will get midday sun.

If you want dragonflies gallivanting through your garden, get rid of any electric bug zappers, which kill dragonflies as easily as flies and mosquitoes. Over time, the dragonflies will do a great job of keeping the insect population in check without any help. After all, more than 90 percent of their diet consists of people-pestering mosquitoes!

Building your own dragonfly water garden can be easy and fun. A dragonfly watergarden can be any size from as small as a backyard garden with a barrel for the pond to as large as a 20 foot diameter pond in the middle of the Big Apple.

Dragonflies and damselflies are a lot more likely to partake of nuisance bugs like mosquitoes and gnats, making them welcome visitors on summer afternoons. They are, in turn, preyed upon by swallows, kingbirds, redwing blackbirds, small hawks, spiders and mantids.

And what is not to admire about a dragonfly? They are the most accomplished of flying insects. Separate control of the muscles in each of their four wings, which also have a strong network of veins to support the transparent membranes, make them nimble acrobats.

A good, basic description of the orchard mason bee:

This gentle, black bee is native to most of the continental U.S. It is a pollinator of fruit trees and flowers... These are non-aggressive bees and will not provide a danger to yards with pets or children as long as the bees are treated gently.

Order friendly solitary bees for your wildlife porch, patio, or balcony in the wintertime, while they are dormant.

Read more

Orchard bees, also known as mason bees or orchard mason bees, are solitary bees. They don't live in hives and don't sting unless you practically squash them. And you can buy these bees for your own wildlife porch, balcony, or backyard.

Read more

Over 40% of bats are now endangered or threatened due to destruction of habitat. Contrary to most hype, bats are very beneficial and typically do not carry diseases.

Read more

Friendly bees exist, and they can be a fascinating component of your wildlife porch, balcony, or deck. You may need to reconsider your memories or fears of bees, as most bees are beneficial, relatively harmless, and can be attracted inexpensively.

Read more

Attracting bats via bat houses can be beneficial for you, the bats, and the environment, despite urban legend.

Read more

Bats can be helpful to you and the environment and can provide harmless entertainment. Learn how to attract them with a bat house or two.

Read more