There are more than 20,000 species of solitary bees. Native to nearly every corner of the globe, they are adapted to a vast diversity of climates and habitats.

Raising mason bees is as simple as buying or making suitable housing and placing it where it will be discovered by the bees that already live in your area. If you don’t buy mason bees, starting is a bit slower, but the results are worth the wait.

Pollinator Week — recognized internationally, observed the third week of June in the US — celebrates each and every pollinator on the planet.

Common throughout the mid to southeastern United States, the carpenter-mimic bee (or copycat bee) has earned its name.

Most Osmia mason bees are generalist pollinators, foraging on a wide variety of plants. As a rule of thumb, Osmia prefer tube-shaped blossoms or flowers with irregular shapes. Some of their favorites are various mints, penstemon, scorpionweed, and willows. They also like legume family plants such as indigo bush, clover, and vetch along with composites such as thistles.

Although bee pollen has yet to be confirmed as a health cure-all, that it doesn’t mean humans can’t benefit from eating it.