Through grant funding and resources from Rent Mason Bees, Sammamish Valley Grange, Sammamish Valley Alliance (SVA), 21 Acres, Coastal Community Bank and the Woodinville Garden Club, free rentals of native mason bees and their nesting boxes were provided recently to local farmers and growers, improving pollination of local crops and the expansion of native bee populations.

Mason bees don’t sting and are an easy, native, worry-free pollinator for any location, not just farms. The BEEvesting partner network provides expert local resources for members of the community to develop a pollinator conservation habitat for their unique area. Schools, businesses, farms, homes, public parks and roadsides can all benefit from pollinator-friendly practices and the presence of native pollinators.
 

Everyone can support pollinators by implementing four simple steps:

1. Plant pollinator-friendly flowers;
2. Provide nesting areas;
3. Avoid pesticides; and,
4. Spread the word.
 
Follow BEEvesting on Facebook and Instagram, watch for the new website soon to be launched, and sign up for email news to learn more ways you can BEEvest in your local pollinators. Send an email to us at BEEvesting@gmail.com or give us a call at (425) 481-1500.

Photo: Mason bee boxes were recently delivered and installed at several Sammamish Valley locations: (clockwise from top left) Liesl McWhorter, 21 Acres; Jim Watts, Rent Mason Bees; Andrew Ely, Viva Farms; Tim Schreiver, Apple Farm Village; Jessi Bloom, NW Bloom Farm.