The Colonial Garden and The Burnside Plantation in Bethlehem is buzzing with volunteers. But as the gardeners social distance, the new group of mason bees nesting next to the Colonial Gardens are hard at work. "Four or five Mason bees could do a pollination job better than a complete hive of honey bees. It's just amazing there so efficient. They say 95% of the blossoms they land on that they get pollinated. Compared to a honeybee who’s about 4%. That’s how efficient they are." says Kerry Meixell, the volunteer who came up with the idea to bring in the bees.
The past two years the apple trees didn't have any apples on them for The Burnside Plantations famous Apple Days festival. Hopefully these mason bees can change that. Meixell says once they're done, they'll go back home. "We actually pack them up. Everything comes with a box, and a shipping label return, and it goes back to the state of Washington"