ABOUT MASON BEE(s)
The Insect
Osmia spp.
The Interpretive Planner
Name
Kyrie Thompson Kellett
Behavior
Mason bees are gentle, solitary bees that do not live in hives. Every female is fertile and uses her masonry skills to craft the mud chambers of her nest. Mason bees fertilize a wide-variety of plants as they collect pollen and nectar. In fact, a mason bee fertilizes three times as many blossoms as her honey bee cousin.
I also work independently, acting as both queen and worker for Mason Bee Interpretive Planning. I am not a solitary bee, though. I love to collaborate, build partnerships, and engage communities in projects. Like the company’s apian namesake, my most valuable role in the learning ecosystem is as a strategic connector. I cross-pollinate learning organizations with research, processes, and relationships that can increase the field’s collective impact.
Early Development
Mason bees lay their eggs in small, tubular nests plugged with mud. The eggs hatch, feed, and metamorphose before emerging from their nests in spring.
I left the nest to study Physics & Environmental Studies at Whitman College. A love of informal education led me on several interpretive adventures (including working at the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, the Guanderdera Biological Reserve in Northern Ecuador, the Arboretum at Flagstaff, and Flagstaff Youth Gardens) before pursuing a MA in Applied Cultural Anthropology at Northern Arizona University. In graduate school, I focused on education, the environment, and cross-cultural collaboration. Degree in hand, I returned home to work at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry as an exhibit/program developer, federal grant writer, and community engagement specialist for 10+ years before starting Mason Bee Interpretive Planning.
Products
Mason bees pollinate a wide range of wild and domestic plants including orchard fruits, nuts, and berries.
I develop interpretive plans, exhibits, programs, curricula, and federal grants. My favorite projects interweave science and culture using story and play.
Range
Mason bee species live throughout North America, North Africa, and Eurasia.
I live in Portland, Oregon, but love to travel for work and adventure. West Coast locations are easiest, but I am happy to fly farther afield with advanced notice.
Mason Bee LLC is certified by the State of Oregon's COBID as an Emerging Small Business and Women Business Enterprise.