#mason bees

LIVE

Finally reunited!
After waiting all winter in the darkness of their lodges in the hollow of the bamboo stalks,
After flying incessantly around the nests,
Carpenter bee pairs form in the warm March sun

#insect #mating pair #couple #mason bees #solitary bees #smartfaune #macrophotography #nature #in my backyard #biodiversity #entomology #animal

@derebusnaturae

Fri, 25 Mar 2022 17:39:11

I keep mason bees. Every day in the early spring, I go outside and watch them work. I sing to them as they store pollen from the apple trees and lay their eggs. I tell them how beautiful they are. Their children will know me next year.

#beekeeping #mason bees #paganism #neopagan #nature #nature witch #naturecore

@wildcraftwit-ch

Mon, 16 May 2022 17:20:38

Part I: Introduction and Protein

At every level, insects and (arachnids) are around us, whether it be a fruit fly or those fucking stink bugs that we get in the house everysingle winter, they’re around us whether we like it or not. Chitinous critters corral themselves into crannies or cowardly fly cross the room when we’re trying to kill them, but what if we used these cool carapaced creatures to our advantage instead of them being a general annoyance, no i’m not talking about beekeeping or honeybees or even those bee hotels that don’t really work, I’m talking farming them, cooking them, seasoning them, dehydrating them, etc. We’ve all heard that insects are the purest form of protein as a joke when someone accidentally swallows a bug, but this little joke is actually true, specifically with crickets. Crickets contain 2-3 times more complete protein than a beef steak on the same weight basis and contain no cholesterol and fat, on top of it all they contain more iron and contain fiber as well. That’s not even including the ecological benefits, such as water usage, waste disposal, carbon emissions, and runoff from improper animal waste disposal.

Part II: Pollination

Like I said above, I don’t condone owning honeybees, not out of a moral stance or anything, they’re ecologically unsafe, they compete with native bees and usually end up winning due to sheer numbers. I’m talking about mason bees and growing habitats for them, yes growing habitats, mason bees use reeds to make their hives, so grow some pop grass (horsetail reed) and watch the magic happen, preferably not too close though. Spending money on those bee houses isn’t a good idea anyhow, they’re a breeding ground for diseases and mostly get occupied by native wasps, which isn’t a bad thing, having natural predators around a certain area is a very good thing, but they’re not pollinators, which is the focus right now.

Part III: Permaculture

Insects and arachnids are essential members of our ecosystem and play a vital part in keeping it balanced, whether it be a common fly laying eggs on a carrion for decomposition or a butterfly doing its butterfly thing of being pretty and drinking nectar, they all serve a purpose, even the annoying bastards like mosquitoes or those fucking stinkbugs. Some may even serve a culinary purpose in the future, like meal-worms, crickets, and grasshoppers being the most common forms. These little creatures make a significant impact together, just like us.

This has been it for me babes, this has been @punkofsunshine ,I’ll be checking in tomorrow. Have a nice night.

#insects #edible insects #mason bees #native insects #pollination #permaculture #arachnids #insect farming #alliteration #solarpunk #culinary experiences #pure protein foods #entomophagy

@punkofsunshine

Sun, 26 Dec 2021 21:41:10

Hey guys! A great way to protect native bee populations is to build and nurture the environments that they need to live. In Washington, my state, Mason Bees are a prevalent native bee species, and this will be a tutorial on how to build hives for these types of bees. Before building a Mason Bee hive make sure that these bees are native to you area.If they are not, please build a hive more suited to the native species of your area or planting plants that attract those kinds of bees. Mason Bees will come to your hive if done correctly, but buying Mason Bees is also an option and will more quickly populate your hive.