Last-minute gifts for nature lovers: native bee houses

Why not stuff a few stockings with native bee houses this holiday season?  It's a great way to send out tokens to nature-loving coworkers, friends and family members, while ensuring that our native bees have safe places to call home.

Anyone who has been following my posts has probably seen the multiple entries I've filed regarding our declining honeybee and native bee populations.  I've kicked off an informal program I call Project Pollinate, which is really just my attempt to spread the word about the plight of nature's premier pollinators, and the importance of keeping them protected.

This Christmas, I racked my brain searching for a gift to please my animal activist/vegan niece, who refuses to put honey in her tea due to the exploitation of the honeybees.  That's when I realized what a helpful, inexpensive gift native bee houses make.  Most of the designs cost less than $50 each (some far less), and make an attractive addition to any property.

One example, the teardrop-shaped mason bee house, pictured above.  It's made from bamboo, which typically weathers the elements for 2-4 years.  It attracts the productive mason bees, which are small, non-stinging beneficial insects.  Slightly smaller than honeybees, mason bees are incredible pollinators. Each one visits as many as 1000 blooms per day — 20 times as many as a honeybee.  Hang a natural bamboo house against a tree or wall where it will get morning sun and attract the bees. Female bees fill the bamboo tubes with their eggs, and nectar and pollen for the young to eat.

I've discovered similar houses on Amazon for $12.00-$25.00.  I ordered one that included express two-day shipping, so I'll have it long before Christmas Day.  Not only does this make a thoughtful, inexpensive gift, but it's space-efficient.  At roughly six inches wide and deep, and 10 inches tall, it will fit nicely into any size outdoor space--perfect even for city dwellers with balconies (even fire escapes!) and rooftop gardens.

For the DIY set, great bee house designs can be fashioned from simple blocks of wood of any shape, with holes drilled uniformly into them.  They attract all kinds of bees and insects, providing them shelter so they can go out into the world, and ensure ours is adequately pollinated.  For more information, log onto prairiemoon.com/NativeBeeHouseInstructions. 

So bee the change you want to see in this world!