Is your garden producing less than it did a few years ago? You’ve prepared the garden like before; the sun is shining, and everything is watered, but your crops don’t seem to produce the same quality or amount as before.

Don’t worry! It’s not you— it’s the pollinators.

There’s been a rapid decrease in the bee population over the past twenty years, but Kind Bee Farms is determined to be part of the solution. Keep reading to learn more about our pollinator bee hive kits for beginners.

What’s the Difference Between Honey Bees & Leafcutter Bees?

When most people hear the word “bee,” they probably think of honey bees, but did you know there are over 20,000 species of bees? Bees come in all different shapes, sizes, pollination power, and specialties, but let’s get into the specifics. What is the difference between a honey bee and a leafcutter bee?

Honey Bees

Honeybees are communal creatures that live together in a hive ruled by a queen! The queen, workers, and drones live harmoniously to create the honeycomb and hive. Honeybees have a ‘pollen basket’ on their hind legs, and when they’re full of pollen, it looks like they’re wearing fancy leg warmers!

They have sticky bellies that collect nectar and pollen to be stored in the hive for honey production because that’s where the magic happens. The honeybees’ natural affinity to honey production and architectural design means pollination is only their second-best skill!

Leafcutter Bees

The friendly bees from Kind Bee Farms are alfalfa leafcutter bees, aka the Megachile rotundata. These solitary bees are incredible pollinators with a 1:20 pollination rate to honey bees– wow! Leafcutter bees are smaller than honey bees, are fast, nimble fliers, and are non-aggressive. You don’t have to worry about getting stung!

Instead of following a queen, these independent ladies do it all: prepare the nesting tube with cut leaves, lay their eggs, store nectar, and pollinate your garden! Rather than the sticky bellies of honey bees, leafcutters have fuzzy bodies that easily collect and distribute pollen as they flit from flower to flower.

Beehives vs Pollinator House

Honeybees are nature’s engineers with their honeycomb’s intricate hexagonal structures. They naturally create their beehives, and beekeepers store them in apiaries to care for the bees and their honeycombs.

If honeybees are engineers, then leafcutters are the interior designers of nature! Leafcutter bees naturally nest in holes inside trees, logs, the ground, and wherever they can find a narrow space to store their eggs. Kind Bee Farm’s Pollinator House mimics the nesting tubes they search for in nature.

We designed the paper tubes to be 5mm in diameter, as it’s the perfect size for the leafcutter to travel in and out of with their leaves easily! The leafcutter bees preserve more energy by cutting smaller pieces of leaves, which in turn extends their lifespan!

The Best Bees for Beginners

You don’t need to be a master beekeeper to care for leafcutter bees. These hard-working ladies are self-sufficient and independent little bees. They don’t ask for much. As long as you have a garden full of flowering plants, you’ll have happy bees!

Leafcutter bees are docile, non-aggressive bees who gently buzz around the garden, pollinating their little hearts out! The male leafcutter bees do not have stingers, but can still bite. Female leafcutters do have stingers and can bite; however, their sting is much milder compared to a honeybee or wasp. As long as you handle your bees gently, you shouldn’t run into a problem.

Everything You Need, Including the Bees!

Join Kind Bee Farms in our mission to reintroduce the power of pollination to rural and suburban neighbourhoods alike! We ship our pollinator bee ‘hive’ kits for beginners across Canada and the continental United States. The owners of Kind Bee Farms have helped release more than 75 million bees into the environment every year for the past 30 years!

With the help of our pollinator bee hive kit for beginners, you can make your patch of earth a pollinator paradise. Make sure to order your all-in-one pollinator bee kit once your garden is in bloom! Have questions? Get in touch with us at [email protected] today!