• Author Dave Hunter is at the leading edge of bee and pollinator issues • Mason bees are part of the solution to honeybees’ decline • No other bee book addresses the topic with such depth and interest • Includes useful information about leafcutter bees too! The national media regularly features dire stories on honeybee colony collapse and its danger to our food supply. But there's another, unsung bee that has the potential to save the planet—the mason bee. Mason Bee Revolution explains how docile, hard-working, solitary mason bees (and their compatriots, the leafcutter bees) are even more productive pollinators than honeybees, and keeping them can be a fun, easy, backyard hobby for gardeners, conservationists, foodies, and families everywhere. Why these bees? Bee pollination is critical for about 80 percent of US agricultural crops, increasing crop value by an estimated $15 billion annually. Since 2006, nearly a third of all honeybee hives have been lost each year, due to parasites, pesticides, habitat loss, climate change, and a newer malady called Colony Collapse Disorder. While scientists search for answers to save the honeybee, Dave Hunter and his company, Crown Bees, are leading the effort to increase the population of other highly efficient pollinators: One mason bee can produce twelve pounds of cherries, via pollination, where it would take sixty honey bees to achieve the same. Mason Bee Revolution is an easy-to-follow guide to keeping both mason and leafcutter bees. It tells you how to set up, care for, and harvest your own bees and what types of plants and habitat encourage mason and leafcutter bees, as well as provides general information on other common pollinators and bee-related facts, projects, and personalities.

Introduces concept of pollination and bees/ mason bees to gardeners in order to increase fruit production. Includes information on nest construction and mason bee build-up with detailed pen and ink illustrations.

Finding Home shows readers an inside look at the lives of six beneficial native creatures through an engaging and educational tale of a mason bee's search for a new home. North America is home to almost 4,000 species of native bees, most of which fly below our radar as they perform indispensable environmental services. Finding Home: A Story of a Mason Bee is an informational realistic fiction, with a focus on science, nature, and conservation written in prose focused on bringing attention to these forgotten creatures. Finding Home: A Story of a Mason bee shows readers the unique lives mason bees lead, and also gives a look at some other common beneficial wildlife. Follow a mason bee as she emerges from her nest to discover her habitat is being destroyed by human development and is propelled into the surrounding landscapes in order to find a place to make a new home. During her search, she comes across various other important wildlife, such as bumble bees, ants, and hummingbirds. Each encounter teaches the mason bee and the reader a little bit about the animals encountered, and the book ends with a glossary of terms including more information about each animal seen in the story.

"Examines the history of the British fire service from 1800-1980, embracing certain key themes of modern British history: the impact of industrial change on urban development, the effect of disaster on political reform, the growth of the state, and the relationship between masculinity and trade unionism in creating a professional identity"--Provided by publisher.

A Gardener’s Guide to Managing Mason Bees for Fruit Production Pollination with Mason Bees is an invaluable tool for anyone wishing to know more about mason bees. It is an informative and well-presented how-to book for those considering starting this fascinating hobby with mason bees. The wonderful illustrations make it possible for even the urban gardener to enjoy a harvest of their favorite fruit from their backyard. In this concise manual, the mason bee's lifecycle is discussed and simple methods are presented to attract various bee species.