Oregon is home to some of the richest bee biodiversity in the nation. Around 600 species can be found here, but the exact number is unknown because no one has really taken a good look. Until now. The Oregon Bee Atlas is a one-of-a-kind program in the U.S. that is led by volunteers working under the umbrella of OSU Extension. Over the past three years, these volunteers have contributed 70,000 new bee records from every county in the state. They have found some rare species including a metallic sweat bee from the Alvord Desert and a wool carder bee that was found nesting in the sand dunes around Newport.

There are around 75 species of mason bees in genus Osmia in Oregon. Blue orchard bee (Osmia lignaria) is a native species that readily managed in straws and laminated boards. These bees are excellent pollinators of orchard fruit like cherry, pear and apple. The female bees take this pollen back to their nests where they pile it up and lay an egg on it. To protect their offspring, they close the cells off with mud collected with their modified mouth-parts.