"A quarantine project that’s a win for you, your garden and pollinators: A bee house"

Gardening is most rewarding when you take the time to look. That gnat on the chervil flower may be a tiny wasp that is obligingly pollinating the bloom.

I find these small, harmless wild bees and wasps enormously entertaining as they flit about and feed on nectar and pollen. I can’t distinguish all the species, but I know they are valuable and of no bother to me. Moreover, I draw great satisfaction in feeling that I have helped create an environment where these winged wonders can thrive.

Other gardeners go further, and they put out nesting tubes for bees — bee houses or bee nesting boxes or bee hotels, call them what you will — and they are an effective way to draw certain bee species to your domain.

There are pitfalls and there is disagreement, too, as to how they should be managed, but on balance bee houses offer a great way to invite this hidden universe into your landscape. At the very least, putting a bee house in your garden offers a constructive and educational distraction from pandemic blues, especially in households with young children.