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Orchard Mason Bees & Homes
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The Orchard Mason Bee is the common name of a nonsocial native bee (Osmia
lignaria ssp.) that pollinates our spring fruit trees, flowers and
vegetables. This gentle, blue-black metallic bee does not live in hives. In
nature it nests within hollow stems, woodpecker drillings and insect holes found
in trees or wood. Sometimes there may be dense collections of individual nest
holes, but these bees neither connect or share nests, nor help provision or
protect each others' young. Also, they are active for only a short period of the
year. They are not aggressive and one may observe them at very close range
without fear of being stung, which makes them excellent for enhancing our yards
and gardens. They add beauty, activity and pollination to our plantings.
However, they do not produce honey.
About Orchard Mason Bees
The female Orchard Mason Bee visits flowers to collect pollen for its young.
She forms a small ball of pollen and nectar in the back of the nesting tube and
lays an egg on the ball. She then collects mud to form a cell partition and
repeats the pollen ball-egg laying process until she reaches the mouth of the
tube where she caps the end with mud. Starting the life cycle in the spring,
adult males emerge from tubes first, but must wait for the later appearance of
the females in order to mate. This event often coincides with the redbud
(Cercis) or Pieris bloom. Females alone, begin founding new nests in
holes to make a row of 5-10 cells in each nest. Females collect the pollen and
nectar and lay eggs. Their short foraging range is about 100 yards from the
nest. Activity continues 4-6 weeks and then adults die. During the summer,
larvae develop inside the nests, make cocoons, and become new adults resting in
the cells. With the onset of fall, the adults become dormant as they go into
hibernation. These bees require some cold temperatures before spring in order to
break their dormancy.
This Bee Is Gentle
The orchard mason bee is non-aggressive and will sting only if handled
roughly or if it should get trapped under clothing. It is less objectionable
than the honey bee as a pollinator in urban areas and should be encouraged.
Efforts are being made experimentally to develop large populations of these bees
to use as a supplement to honey bees for fruit pollination, much as the alfalfa
leafcutting bee was developed for alfalfa seed pollination.
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Wildlife World Bug Box
$39.95
Provide a
valuable habitat for ladybirds, and mason bees with this carefully designed
bug box.Ladybird food for bug box, lasts up to 12 months.
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Wildlife World Large Roosting Pockets
$17.95
Same as Roosting Pockets only 33-50% larger. 2" Opening. Price is for one roosting pocket.
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Wildlife World Roofed Nesting Pockets
$24.95
These are slightly larger than the regular roosting pockets. They have a peaked wooden roof to shed rain. The 2" hole is large enough for small birds to shelter in and use as a nesting box. Price is for one roosting pocket.
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Wildlife World Roosting Pockets
$14.95
Roosting pockets are cute birdhouses made out of natural materials (coco
fibers, seagrass or fern) which small birds, such as wrens, finches and
chickadees use for nesting or just roosting. Each house or nesting pocket
is 7" tall and 4" in diameter. The hole is about 1.5" in diameter.
These pockets are long lasting. Due to the nature of their design, we
cannot guarantee any specific shape. Price is for one roosting pocket.
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Wildlife World Spiral Fruit & Suet Feeder
$14.95
The spiral feeder is designed to hold suet, fruit and
other bird snacks. Also may be used as a nesting material holder.
The spiral feeder will attract chickadees, nuthatches, titmouse and other birds
that like to cling acrobatically to feed. The spiral feeder is made of
high quality spring wire.
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Support The Registry of Nature Habitats - Buy Conservation Credits For purchasing Conservation
Credit(s) You will receive a copy of the John Audubon Multimedia
CD A replica of the complete
(1840-1844) James Audubon's
Birds of America
You will also receieve a bluebird
house for each Conservation Credit purchased and a 20% off coupon to be used on
the A Bird's Home website!
 The Registry of Nature Habitats - Mission
Statement
The Registry of Nature Habitats is
dedicated to the preservation of land that, over time, has been a
site and home for complex ecosystems. The Registry advocates
preservation of these lands and its inhabitants, environmental
education for community individuals and groups, and nurturing of
these lands through restoration in order to conserve its
natural resources for future generations.
Preserve
The Registry of Nature
Habitats manages critical habitat, consisting of wetland,
lowland, upland, forest and stream habitat, providing a home
to wildlife species and plant species. As part of
the mission to preserve these lands and its inhabitants,
the Registry will continue to contract with owners
of ecologically sensitive land as it becomes
available.
Educate
The Registry of Nature Habitats is
a "teaching ground," able to provide hands-on, interpretive learning
experiences in areas such as ecology, botany, wildlife science, and
geology, as well as the arts and humanities. The
educational mission of The Registry of Nature Habitats is
to teach an understanding and appreciaton of the environment,
the invaluable lesson of land stewardship of our natural resources,
and to expand the general knowledge of this habitat through
scientific research. This will be accomplished through a
year-round experiential, interactive approach, along
with onsite and outreach activities including providing
educational material both on this website, on media and through
educational seminars. An on-site facility is in the
design phase, which will house classrooms and an administrative
space.
Nurture
Through several restoration
projects, including the rebuilding of stream corridors,
reintroducing native flora, and permitting only low-impact
activities, the Registry is nurturing much land back to
its natural state, undoing the damage of hundreds of
years. The Registry of Nature
Habitats restoration plan, developed with public and private
partnerships and with local community support, will increase
the land's value, enhance wildlife habitat, improve water
quality, and preserve the integrity of the land's
bio-diversity. Renewable
Energy
Promote the use of
renewable and efficient energy technologies through education,
training, workforce development, research, and project facilitation.
The Registry supports clean energy development and energy
conservation as the means to protect the environment, enhance
public health, and save our nature
habitats.
Conservation
We seek to educate people and provide innovative
solutions that will help build a clean, more efficient world, by
reducing energy consumption in a prudent way that does not
threaten the natural balance that supports all
life.
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Woodside Gardens
(607) 746-3089 PO Box 351 Delhi, NY
13753 More information Help
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Copyright © 1997-
Woodside Gardens
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