Honey bees may get all the glory but hardworking mason bees are critical for spreading pollen in flowers and trees throughout the local ecosystem.

At a workshop this weekend in Metchosin, biologist Gord Hutchings will demonstrate how to support the native orchard mason bee B次元官网网址� including a hand-on look at how to build a nature-mimicking bee condo.

B次元官网网址淭hey are solitary bees, not hive bees. They are much like people and like to congregate, but have individual dwellings,B次元官网网址� said Hutchings, who has studied native bees for 22 years.

The mason bees naturally find small holes in trees to live and lay eggs. A bee condo is a wooden box with a grid of holes for bees to set up their nests.

B次元官网网址淧eople will get to set up a bee condo and then the bees with come and pollinate the fruit trees,B次元官网网址� said Metchosin Coun. Moralea Milne, who is helping to organize the event.

When laying eggs, mason bees bring the pollen onto the hole for larvae to eat. Then they lay eggs and build little mud walls between each egg.

B次元官网网址淭he small larvae eat the pollen and grow and grow,B次元官网网址� Hutchings said.

An important part of owning a bee condo is cleaning cocoons to control mites. Often little mites find their way into the hole and lay eggs on bee eggs.

B次元官网网址淲e use a sand cleaning process to knock the mites off the cocoons,B次元官网网址� Hutchings said. B次元官网网址淭he mites donB次元官网网址檛 hurt the bees, but they latch onto the bees and jump off on flowers and can out compete the bees for its food mass.B次元官网网址�

During the winter the baby bees go into diapause or a bee hibernation and emerge from the hole at the end of February.

B次元官网网址淭hatB次元官网网址檚 why we have to do this class outside,B次元官网网址� Hutchings said explaining if they cleaned the cocoon inside the bees might think itB次元官网网址檚 spring time.

The orchard mason bees are native to Vancouver Island are prolific pollinators. With dwindling honey bee populations, Hutchings wants people to help mason bees thrive. He last gave a talk in Metchosin on several native bee species in the spring.

Honey bees have been imported from the Middle East and other countries. The species has been struggling with colony collapses related to diseases and the weather. Hutchings said some of the survival issues with honey bee populations stems from the fact they are not native to this area.

B次元官网网址淭here has been a lot emphasis on the honey bee as a pollinator,B次元官网网址� Hutchings said. B次元官网网址淏ut native bees have been here all along.B次元官网网址�

On a daily basis, mason bees are more effective at pollinating plants, but their pollinating season is shorter than honey bees.

Orchard mason bees pollinate from late February to the end of May. B次元官网网址淭he cool, wet springs are too wet for the honey bees,B次元官网网址� Milne said. B次元官网网址淭he whole point of using mason bees is they are native and already adapted to here.B次元官网网址�

Encouraging mason bees to live around homes is pretty safe, Hutchins said.

B次元官网网址淭hey sting like all solitary bees, but they will never go out of their way to sting you,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淭hey either sting you by accident or if you grab them.B次元官网网址�

The native bee workshop is Saturday, Oct. 8, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Metchosin municipal hall. Cost including materials is $45. To register call Milne at 250-478-3838.

reporter@goldstreamgazette.com