16 — North Shoré News — Wednesday, June 21, 2000 livinar ( Custom tile-maker helps bees Marcie Good Contributing Writer THE Mason bee larvae in Taren Urquhart’s back- yard can’t complain about their digs. She puts tile roofs over their heads that would be the envy ow any specics. But considering the work they do to put food =: our tables, she says they’re worth it. “Bees are responsible for one-third of everything we eat,” said the 25-year-old owner of Tarencotta Tiles. “People think bees — honey — but that’s only a byproduct of their reai job.” Last spring she discovered a jousefly-like insect buzzing around outside her North Vancouver home. She did some inves- tigating and discovered the Mason bee may necd a place to call its own. Tt sports 2 bluish black coat rather than the stripes of the hon- eybee. While it is smaller, it manages to pollinate more than twice as many fruits, vegetables and flowers than its famous cousin. And contrary to what people usually assume, the Mason ~. bee is a good backyard companion — it does not swarm or bite like the Fellow and black variery. "See, there they are mating on my mom’s finger,” she says, pointing to a close-up picture of loving bees she uses in her pre- sentations to garden clubs. “That’s how gentle they are.” np Busy, , docile, but most importantly, loners. As much as 70% . of the honey bee population in B.C. has been devastated in the past decade, ic ly due to the impact of two parasitic mites. The. predators, which eat the food left for larvae in the nest, are more “manageable for.this species because the Mason bees are solitary. I-did some research and I thought, we really need to help guys our,” she said. “They are desperate for habitat.” © )Thar’s because many factors, including intensive cultivation, ‘irrigation, pesticides and urbanization have caused a decline in i native ¢ Po ulations of pollen bees. Giving them a home makes it em to raise their young. sey in the business of making tiles for kitchens and bath- ms, Urquhart developed a bechouse, made of a chunk of ‘ood with bored holes of five-sixteenths of an inch. That’s the size’ Mason bee females Prefer when they nestle their young for the winter. | -The female places her “bee bread,” (a mixture of pollen and nectar) in the back of the hole, and places’ one egg on top. Then’ he makes a Protective mud. wall. Three or four eggs could be ASPEN CTD Ee . TAREN Urquhart has put her degree in art history to use. She silk-screens Celtic | images, Renoir paintings and Michelangelo sculptures onto handmade ties. placed in one hole of the bechouse, cach with its own chamber. In one of those quirks of nature that makes survival of the fittest so believable, the mother places male eggs in the more vulnerable spot near the entrance to the hole. That is because males are not quite as important in reproduction. The egg becomes a larvae, feeds on the bread, and then spins a cocoon. That waterproof cover keeps it snug through the win- ter. When the spring temperature rises about 13 C, the adult bee eats through the PEs and emerges into the world. The season of the Mason bees has just ended. But in one of her beehouses hanging on the balcony, Urquhart spots the - antennae of another insect emerging from the hole. “Do you see?” she exclaims. “You are here for the birth of an aphid-eating wasp!” yardener’s friend | Ir’s easy to catch her enthusi- asm for the wonders happen- ing in her backyard — she speaks more like a connois- secur than an entrepreneur. Along with the bechouses she also provides an information service: she encourages cus- tomers to cail her with any questions about their new tenants, and her Web site is full of research on the lifecycle of the insect. Visitors can log in their own Mason bee sight- in Bee-watching i is one of several passions she has made good use of in the business she operates out of her parents’ basement. Urquhart says her degree in English and art his- tory from UBC was most use- ful in teaching her how to research. She has used that skill to come up with Renaissance, Celtic: and medieval-inspired designs for her handmade tiles. She also pieces together famous images, Renoir paintings and Michelangelo sculptures, : sitk- screened onto tiles. Her father, David, has also come in handy. A biology teacher at West Vancouver secondary school, he has been a great: resource for her. She also gives him credit for helping her busi- NEWS photo Terry Peters - ness out of the larvae stage: he built an addition to their home : | with a studio in the basement to house her kiln and other tile-: . making equipment. He also drills the holes in the wood chunks for her beehouses. ve “I couldn’ do this without my parents,” she said, describing how her mother Nadine is an expert on moncy matters. “And © my dad works for free, which is great.” : Tarencotta bechouses are available at West Van Florist Most. : of Urquhart’s tile work for kitchens or bathrooms is custom-. designed on the site. Her line of tiles and her bechouses can n be L seen at . On: any INE ‘nursery or perennial item. Applies to trees; shrubs and perennials only. . Living Art collection exempt. : While quantities t last. No other discounts apply. “The Ultimate Gardening Experience” Two locations to serve you “PARK, ROYAL: SOUTH SOUTH BURNABY West Vancouver (913-1992 "434-4111 ‘shampoo come of Nelson @ Marine) ania Lee and her Al Pawz mobile pet . " grooming service is giving new meaning to the, phrase “going to the dogs." Lee launched her new grooming on the go ser- © vice only one week ago and has already — had several dog and cat owners wagging their tails in excitement. A certified, award- . winning groomer, Lee puts a new spin on _ the experience for pet owners — Instead of waiting in lineups at grooming shops and - canines,- this groomer comes straight to your. door.” Lee says pec: its more comfortable for both pet-:and owner when the ani- mal is bathed, clipped and groomed in famil- _jar surroundings. To her mobile van in her _ Gients' driveway and ‘go to work, thus also averting a soap-and- inside the owner's house if Fido attempts to escape. Not that unhappy pooches or cats are a common occurrence — Lee makes it her number one priority to make a one-on- one connection with each and every pet she -- - set owners, don't fret — there’: ~ tub for those slippery critter: cares for. Lee, who has captured awards at a national grooming competition. in Burbank, California and worked her way. . through various grooming shops to gain experience and expertise, likens her sexvice sage (as seen'on VIV v Breast, gocs to work on the nails before finishing with a’: , good bras and combout.: She employ: poos arid cond — you're more. than’: sparky: into. thi ‘enduring the yaps and barks of nervous.’ groomi _ grooming depend’oi “the slae of the pet ari the thickness and condition of its coat. A Labrador retriever tequires less work than a tangled french poodle or .a° parse. ng-halred Newfoundland deg, for example” And says her number one priotity is quality anc ". keeping her attention a focused on one pet at time. Thanks ‘to ‘Tania-and. er mobile to a trip to the spa for the furry little mem- -' grooming ber in your family. First Lee bathes the pet, followed by a deep tissue tea free oil mas- ims 1 Mebile. ves Groom’ ag Awae oA nnin, and '808- 7729 (roe allpawz $m.com.