Raising native bees: It’s a winner in our book

When I went to visit Don and Barb Knabb at their home in West Chester last week, the two were not the only ones to greet me. Buzzing and fluttering over the zinnias, sunflowers and marigolds massed along the front walkway were a host of bees and butterflies. What could be more welcoming!

I was eager to explore Barb and Don’s gardens and their nesting boxes for native bees. In their winning Gardening for Pollinators contest entry, the couple had mentioned the mason bees that they’ve been raising.

“We were always interested in native plants and how they support pollinators,” they said, “but what took us to the next level was several years ago when we read in ‘From the Ground Up’ about Mason bees.” The Knabbs began by ordering about two dozen of the native bees and have saved cocoons each year. It’s just grown from there. “We started this year with several hundred bees,” they said, “even after giving away about 100 cocoons to friends.”

Before we went out into the gardens, Don showed me the nesting tubes that they collected this past spring and are storing in their garage until hatching time. Female mason bees lay their eggs in tubes, with a supply of nectar and pollen, and seal the tubes with wet clay. (Hence the name “mason” bees.) Within the tubes, the eggs hatch, the larvae feed on the stored food, and eventually create a cocoon. One of the tasks in raising mason bees is to remove the cocoons from the tubes, clean them, and store them safely. In early spring, it’s time to put the cocoons outside before the adult bees emerge, ready for mating and to start the cycle over again. Of course, the bees will do this without help, but setting out nesting boxes and overwintering the cocoons helps insure that more bees survive.

To support the bees, Barb and Don began adding plants that mason bees and other pollinators feed on. These include three different milkweed species: common milkweed [Asclepias syriaca]; butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa); and swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnata). Milkweeds are the sole host plant of the monarch butterfly, whose numbers have been decreasing, and planting even just a few milkweed plants can help these insects. At a tall stand of common milkweed, Don and Barb checked the undersides of leaves for monarch butterfly larvae. They quickly found several tiny larvae, less than ¼

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTOS This undated photo shows CB2’s Logan sofa. Designer John McClain, whose studio is in Orlando, says one big trend he’s seeing in fall décor is a range of deep, cozy textures like boucle and shearling. “(They’re) are cropping up on more than just pillows these days – entire sofas, chairs and headboards are sporting luscious upholstery reminiscent of lambs, puppies and ponies.” CB2 has several options, including the Gwyneth side chair, Logan sofa and Azalea chair.

PAM BAXTER - MEDIANEWS GROUP Some Mason bee nesting tubes.

PAM BAXTER MEDIANEWS GROUP A tiny monarch butterfly larva on milkweed plant