Boy Scout project benefits local mason bee population
WEST MILFORD. Mattias Eriksson built bee homes for multiple community gardens.
| 10 Aug 2022 | 10:53
Boy Scout Mattias Eriksson stands next to one of his mason bee homes.
Mason bees are considered 120 times more effective at pollinating than honey and bumble bees.
The mason bee homes can be found in local community gardens and the Douglass Memorial Native and Wild Medicinal Plant Garden.
Prior to the start of spring, a local boy scout contacted Sustainable West Milford with a helpful and needed offer to support endangered pollinators. Mattias Eriksson, of Boy Scout Troop 151, based in West Milford, used his skills and support network to fundraise and create useful homes for mason bees.
“With our enthusiastic support and the help of Mattias’s peers and donors, we are pleased to share with the community the completion of his project,” a Sustainable West Milford representative told The West Milford Messenger. “Eight artfully constructed mason bee homes were installed at our two community gardens and our Douglass Memorial Native and Wild Medicinal Plant Garden.”
Mason bees may not be as well-known as honey or bumble bees, but they’re top notch pollinators and vital to the ecosystem. Sustainable West Milford noted that they are considered 120 times more effective at pollinating than honey and bumble bees, as there is no colony to support. They don’t sting because they have no queen to protect. Just two or three mason bees can successfully pollinate an entire fruit tree! Mason bees also have a lot of hair on their bodies, and do not clean as frequently as honey bees, so they transfer lots more pollen as they go from flower to flower. They also rise in early spring, well before honey bees are active — which is crucial to improving the crop yield, quantity, and quality of blooms.
Like all beneficial insects, they tend to dine only on your garden’s pests and not the good bugs or your plants.
Sustainable West Milford works to reduce exposure to and dependence on fossil fuels and harmful chemicals, reduce encroachment upon nature, and promote a fair and efficient way of living. They also sponsor the West Milford Farmers Market every Wednesday, as well as several other local program. Have a project you’re interested in leading with the support of others? Contact Sustainable West Milford Executive Director Luke Slott at 973-897- 5265 or lukeaaron93@hotmail.com.
