MASON BEES

 The Bainbridge Island Metro Park & Recreation District is partnering with Rent Mason Bees to help pollinate our trees and parks to create a healthier ecosystem. We are releasing 1,600 mason bees near our historical orchards to help revive and strengthen our surrounding habitat.

About Mason Bees — Blue Orchard Mason bees DO NOT STING and are native to the Pacific Northwest. They are super pollinators and are vital to our food production and ecosystem. They belly-flop onto flowers and collect pollen all over their bodies, which enables them to pollinate 95% of the flowers they land on, and they can visit up to 2,000 blossoms a day. “Bees are a crucial part of our ecosystem,” says Jim Watts, owner of Rent Mason Bees. “Bees directly pollinate a third of the food we eat. We need bees to pollinate our food, and we must protect our bee populations.”

SOLITARY BEE FACTS!

• Solitary bees live alone and do not have a hive; they find their own nest, gather their food, and lay their eggs.
• They are non-aggressive and DON’T STING.
• Mason bees lay around 15 eggs a year, compared to honeybees that lay 2,000 eggs a day.
• Like a butterfly, the larva spins a cocoon, hibernates over winter, and then emerges as an adult bee.

HOW YOU CAN HELP — Start at home. Do not use pesticides and plant a variety of flowers. Clean cocoons and nesting blocks every year to rid elusive predators such as pollen mites and Houdini flies that can destroy bee populations. If you don’t want to commit to cleaning, YOU CAN RENT BEES.

RENT SOLITARY BEES — Rent Mason Bees is the only company in the country that brings gardeners and farmers together with their bee rental program. Solitary bees are the most accessible bees to host because they are low maintenance. Purchase a lone bee kit, including bees, and hang it in your yard. Watch them pollinate, and your yard thrive. In the fall, mail the nesting block back to Rent Mason Bees. They clean all cocoons and nesting blocks, and the following spring, your bees are sent to farmers to help pollinate orchards and increase food production. YOUR BEES MAKE FOOD! 

COMPANY INFORMATION — Rent Mason Bees is a division of Watts Solitary Bees, family-owned and operated for over 56 years. Rent Mason Bees program offers a way to be involved in your food sources and promote healthier urban and rural ecosystems with minimal commitment. Farmers can use these solitary bees to grow more food by utilizing gardeners.  

Park District trails crews have re-routed the Gazzam Lake Nature Preserve Main Trail approximately 250 feet to the north to accommodate construction of a new well at Deerpath Lane.

The Kitsap Public Utility District will be constructing a new 600-foot-deep water supply well and above-ground reservoirs that will replace the existing above-ground water reservoirs currently located at Deerpath Lane.

The new well will provide a more resilient water system, including improved fire services, to the communities of south Bainbridge Island. Additionally, the project will expand trailhead parking with up to 12 additional spaces, improve safety around the water infrastructure, improve access for trail maintenance, help protect a vital watershed, and more accurately monitor Gazzam Lake water levels.

If you have any questions regarding this project, please call KPUD at 360-779-7656 or visit their website at www.kpud.org.

Well Drilling Begins at Gazzam Lake Nature Preserve — 4-3-22

The Kitsap Public Utility District (KPUD) well improvement project off Deer Path Lane begins Monday, April 4.

KPUD construction teams will begin initial work, including some small tree removal (alders), branch trimming, and leveling out the area/placing rock where the drill rig will be stationed.

Starting Monday, April 11, Tacoma Pump & Drilling will begin excavation work and set up temporary fencing to protect the drill site and its equipment. Depending on the drilling conditions, the drilling work is expected to take 2-4 months.

If you have any questions regarding this project, please call KPUD at 360-779-7656 or visit their website at www.kpud.org.

Two new cabins are currently under construction at Fay Bainbridge Park. Designed and built entirely by Park District staff. The two new cabins will feature unique arched roof construction and at 288 square feet, will be our most spacious cabins yet. Cabin 4 will be centrally situated in the forested cabin loop. Cabin 5 will be located near the bluff and feature a deck with commanding views to the north. Construction is set to finish in fall 2022, depending on availability of materials.