2020 Hometown Heroes

Page 42 2020 Hometown HEROES Magazine LINCOLN DAILY NEWS May 14, 2020 best if the container is long enough to hold paper tubes are 6 to 7 inches long. 2. Cut paper into pieces that are 2.5 to 3.5 inches wide and about 7 inches long. 3. Use a pencil to tightly roll the paper into a tube that is 8mm in diameter and 7 inches long. 4. Use a small piece of tape to prevent the tube from unrolling. Tubes should not be reused year to year. Use new tubes to prevent the spread of pathogens. 5. One end of the tube must be closed. You can either fold the paper over and secure with tape or use a natural clay that will dry to close off the tube. 6. Put the tubes into the container. It is best if they are not all the same length. The tubes should not extend past the end of the container to protect them from water. 7. Hang your bee house on a South or Southeast facing wall at eye level for easy viewing. A wire mesh can be added to prevent birds from preying on the bees. In addition to the Mason Bee lesson and bee house building project, participants also heard about the Project Wingspan program from local Pollinator Partnership staff member Holly Fainer. Mason Tree Nursery plays a key role in this 9-state project. Pollinator Partnership is working with a coalition of partners and dedicated volunteers to increase the quality, quantity, and connectivity of pollinator habitat across the Midwest and Great Lakes Region to support imperiled native pollinators and the vital habitat they depend on. Local Extension Master Naturalists and Extension Master Gardeners volunteer at the tree nursery to help support Project Wingspan, https://www.pollinator.org/ wingspan. For more information about native pollinators and horticulture, please visit the University of Illinois Extension Fulton-Mason-Peoria- Tazewell Unit website at http://extension. illinois. edu/fmpt/. Click here for printable bee house instructions - PDF [Christine Belless, University of Illinois Extension]