About Us
Denise with antique corbel bee houseDenise lives in northern Virginia and is an avid gardener and environmentalist. After learning that honey bees were disappearing by the millions, she took a closer look at her own suburban yard and realized that the lack of pollinators was taking its toll. Although her plants were healthy, they weren’t bearing their normal fruits and berries, so in 2001 she purchased her first Mason Bee cocoons and the following spring her yard exploded with color. After sharing this good news with her friends and neighbors, they all wanted to raise native bees, too. The result? Our Native Bees!
There were NO honey bees on the North American continent until the 1630’s when the colonists brought them to Jamestown, Virginia so they could harvest their honey.
Protein Diet or Carb Diet? Both!
Like all bees, Orchard Mason Bees collect flower pollen as a protein source for their young, and get their energy from the sweet nectar the flowers produce to attract them.
