Welcome to Pollinator Paradise 
Where bees and flowers cooperate for mutual benefit

The alfalfa leafcutting bee, Megachile rotundata.
photo by Karen Strickler

NEW!  A bee identification exercise to try with master gardeners, kids and other groups.

2007 Orchard bee cocoons (mostly Osmia lignaria) for sale for the 2008 season.  Click for details.

We have easy to clean BINDERBOARD® nesting systems. Click to Learn more.
A Pictorial Guide to Orchard Bee Management
New!  Follow the growth of my summer squash patch and market garden:
http://squashblossomdiary.blogspot.com/
New!  Read about our 2006 Summer Squash Research Project:
Harvest Frequency, Yield, and Economics of Summer Squash

Should bee species be moved across country or between countries? Read about the issues :  
"For Nonnative Crops, Whence Pollinators of the future?"

What is pollination?  Some definitions.
Is it a bee?  The Logan bee lab helps you distinguish bees from other similar insects.

Visit a subweb:  

1.  The Pollination Ecology Web  
Managing Megachile rotundata, the alfalfa leafcutting bee; pollination of alfalfa flowers; alfalfa seed production; and  relevance to other crops. 
    Download an interactive model of alfalfa pollination.

2.  The Solitary Bee Web  
Solitary bees, or pollen bees, especially Osmia, the Blue Orchard Bee / Orchard Mason Bee and the Hornfaced Bee.  Also references about pollination in general.

3.  NMNBPP Web:  The New Mexico Native Bee Pollinator Project. 
(no frames version)

4.  The Nampa Farmers' Market

5.  Harvest Frequency, Yield, and Economics of Summer Squash