Save the pollinators!
Kate's beautiful bee boxes are made by hand in Maine. They look great in your yard and provide a nesting spot for local pollinators.
Kate's hand made bee boxes provide cover and places to raise young for bees. The type of bee most commonly found in our bee boxes is the Blue Orchard Mason Bee. Mason bees do not live in a nest or hive like other bees. They live in wooden blocks or trees. Mason bees don't drill holes and destroy wood like some other bees. Instead, they rely on holes that are already available. The male Mason Bee can not sting and the female rarely stings.
Colony collapse disorder (CCD) has impacted the viability of honey bees throughout the US. Some gardeners have reported that pollination is suffering .
You don't have to become a bee keeper to ensure good pollination of your plants. You can help native pollinators in your area by providing bee boxes for solitary bees. Solitary bees don't live in a hive (like honey bees). These native bees (such as Mason and Osmia bees) pollinate many important plant species (like Maine blueberries!) and are not affected by CCD.
This photo shows what you will receive when you purchase a bee box (you supply the mounting stick). Bee boxes make great gifts for gardener friends and family.
Installing bee boxes in your yard will provide a great boost to pollination of your plants and help ensure that your garden is successful. Hosting native bees is important to ensure complete pollination of your flowering plants!
Bee boxes are available all year and the price includes shipping and mounting hardware.
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Buy a Bee Box
Native bee boxes are $17.98 (painted), which includes shipping (within the continental US) and the mounting hardware. That buys you a beautifully painted bee box as shown in the photos along with complete instructions. We ship bee boxes and complete instructions to you by priority mail (2-3 days). We have a few on hand, but large orders will require a few days to produce. When you order, you will receive a confirmation e-mail with estimated shipment date.
You can also pick up bee boxes!
If you are in Southern Maine, you can pick up bee boxes ($12.00 [or $13 with mounting hardware] & save $5.00 on shipping). Send an e-mail to make arrangements.
About Kate's Natural Bee Boxes?
Approx 8"x8"x2". These are manufactured from Eastern white pine or hemlock (depending on availability). The lumber used is certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). Kate is proud to use Maine products and sustainable lumber.
More information on solitary bees
The cause of CCD is not known, but modern agriculture (with large fields of monoculture and overuse of pesticides) can't be helping the situation.
What is monoculture and why is it a problem for bees?
Monoculture is the agricultural practice of growing many acres of the same plant (think amber waves of grain and corn belt). However, the real problem is not grasses, but plants that require pollination by an insect. California almonds are a great example. Honey bees are trucked or flown from all over the US (and from outside the US) to pollinate the hundreds of acres of almond trees that grow there. This is not a natural condition. Nature didn't put only one species of flowering plant in an area-- how could bees survive year round if the area supported primarily only one species of plant that flowers only a few weeks a year?
How did Kate become interested in bee boxes?
Kate learned about CCD and the loss of pollinators and wanted to help. Kate's native bee boxes are made in Maine by Kate (Kate is 10, so these are made with a little help from her dad) .
What can I do to help pollinators?
In addition to putting out native bee boxes and , you can support local pollinators by: 1. provide habitiat for other solitary bees (like bumble bees) 2. provide plants that flower year round to provide food for bees 3. be careful with (or better yet, don't use) pesticides. Many harm beneficial insects as well as pests 4. buy local agricultural products that will send a message to large producers. By voting with your dollar, you tell producers that you support native species.
How do I care for bee boxes?
Place them where they will find mud to make their nest and safe from being knocked down. Other than that, make sure the wood is not cracked. Bee boxes may need to be replaced after a few years if the wood cracks. In Maine, our bee boxes typically last 3-4 years.
Apiasts (bee keepers) are needed, but the experts say that they need bee KEEPERS, not bee "havers". The difference being people who closely monitor their hives and spend time learning about maintenance and upkeep vs. just putting a few bee hives out and checking on them occasionally or just harvesting honey.
With solitary bees, you don't need all the bee keeper equipment and classes. All you do is put out a few bee boxes and maintain them. Because these bees are solitary, it is a LOT easier.
News articles on Colony Collapse Disorder and Bees
Photos of some more bee boxes
This is the older design with a roof. An apiast contact me to suggest the roof was unnecessary and could provide a hiding spot for mites (if the bee box was not cleaned yearly). As a result of that comment, we have discontinued installing roofs.
This is a photo of an older bee box (from 2004 or 2005) from or yard with several nests (the plugged holes). We have since begun sealing the wood on newer designes to prevent splitting.
Barter Offers Considered
Contact us about bartering for any of our products. We are usually bartering for hand made soap, honey, jam, fresh eggs, jam, canned or dried fruit and vegetables.
Scott's Backyard Habitat Enhancement (Solitary Bees & Beneficial Insects) – A source of great information on beneficial insects and solitary bees and how to create a habitat that brings them to work for you. The UMaine Cooperative Extension has a fact sheet on native bees and blueberry pollination (the Maine wild blueberry factsheets).
If you have any questions about native bees or purchasing native bee boxes contact Kate.
Kate's Natural Bee Boxes will be at the Common Ground Fair in Unity Maine this year. Look for her booth in the Farm and Homestead area (by the Pine Gate). FMI see MOFGA's web site.
Thank you for supporting your local pollinators.
Updated June 2010