City Fruit offering mason bee class at PNA

There’s been a lot of concern lately over the precipitous decline of honey bees worldwide. Called Colony Collapse Disorder, it’s leading people to try to figure out other ways to pollinate plants.
The local nonprofit organization City Fruit, which helps homeowners harvest extra fruit from their trees to donate to those in need, is sponsoring a class called Mason Bees for Pollination from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Jan. 29 at the Phinney Neighborhood Center. Mason bees are native, non-aggressive bees, and can dramatically increase yields in the garden.
“Mason bees are great for beginners and easy for people who want to improve pollination without the hassle,” Dave Hunter, owner of Crown Bees and the instructor for the class, said in a press release.
City Fruit is sponsoring four classes at the PNA this winter: Fruit Tree Biology and Orchard Management, Jan. 15; Fruit Tree Pruning Basics, Feb. 5; and Permaculture and Orchards, March 19.
All classes are $15 for City Fruit members, $20 for non-members. You can register and pay for a class online at Brown Paper Tickets, or send a check, with the name of the class and your contact information, to: City Fruit, PO Box 28577, Seattle 98118.