News

When giving earth-friendly gifts, it's important to think outside the box. Because let's face it—reusable water bottles, bags, and straws are fantastic, but your nature-loving friends and family probably already have this stuff. You want to gift items that people will love, find useful, and that they can use for many years instead of stuff they'll tire of and quickly replace or discard. While that's always the goal with gift-giving, it's especially true with bee-friendly gifts. This year, show your loved ones how much you appreciate them by giving them a gift that supports the pollinators they, and we, love...

Each month our Bee Informed Blog highlights current news, science, and research related to solitary bee conservation, food insecurity, and sustainability. 1. Only Two States Have Passed ‘Right to Garden’ Laws. Will Others Follow? (Civil Eats) Carrots, baby kale, and spinach never tasted so sweet. After emerging from a multi-year legal battle over gardening, Nicole Virgil is looking forward to cultivating those vegetables and more this winter in her backyard. Growing one’s own food, central to human existence for millennia, has suddenly become a hot-button topic in some communities. From Michigan to Massachusetts, people have been thwarted—or even outright banned—from growing food on...

Each month our Bee Informed Blog highlights current news, science, and research related to solitary bee conservation, food insecurity, and sustainability. 1. Murder hornets given new common name by entomologists (Associated Press) The invasive hornet found in Washington state that has been referred to as the Asian giant hornet or murder hornet has a new name. Washington state Department of Agriculture officials said Monday that the Entomological Society of America (ESA) has adopted “northern giant hornet” for the species Vespa mandarinia in its Common Names of Insects and Related Organisms List. Continue reading... 2. Meet the Robber Fly, a predator of insects in...

With extreme summer temperatures sweeping North America, shipping trucks, mailboxes, sheds, and garages can quickly feel like ovens! While bees are hearty insects, extreme temps can impact their survival. Here are a few things to keep in mind this summer: Once our bees leave our facility, we cannot regulate the temperature of the cocoons. Extreme temps and shipping delays may affect your bees. If you know your leafcutter bees are scheduled to ship during a heat wave, please consider changing your bee ship date. You can change your bee ship date up to the Wednesday before your scheduled ship date. If your summer leafcutter...