Area 4-H student Chloe Johnson served as the instructor on the project and is a 4-H Pollinator Ambassador for the county. Johnson has built bee homes for the last four years. She calls it the Bee & Bee project.

Bees are a vital part of the ecosystem. The insects pollinate fruits, vegetables, nuts and flowers that provide food and beauty to the region.

But climate change, disease, parasites and the disruption of bee habitats have caused a decline in their population. In recent years there has been a push from state’s Extension, 4H and naturalists to support the pollinator population.

Bee & Bee houses are a popular way to help bees.

Staff photo by Clay Schuldt Lila Kelton (left), Marra Kelton and Lillian Brandes cut straws to make the interior of a bee house, The straws are packed into the container tight enough so the container can be turned upside down with no straws falling out.

The house can be constructed by cutting the top off a container. Paper straws are placed in the container with one end closed. The open end of the straws should be cut off to be even with the containers. The straws should be packed into the container tight enough so the container can be turned upside down with no straws falling out.

Once the Bee & Bee house is built, it should be placed somewhere where bees are likely to visit, such as gardens or any type of wildflowers. Bees are likely to create hives in a location near food sources.

The Bee & Bee building project brought in more than just 4-H students. Several master gardeners joined in participating during Friday’s building project.

Master gardener Roxann Jelinek said there was a real interest in pollinators among master gardeners. In the region, many gardeners were starting to plant pollinators. Some of the most popular plants were pollinators. Jelinek said herbs were becoming popular and are a great source of food for bees.

Staff photo by Clay Schuldt Members of 4H and the Minnesota Extension, as well as other friends of bees, met Friday at the Brown County Fairgrounds to build habitat for bees, which are vital pollinators for the food supply of many animal species.