About Us
Our Mission and Vision
We are a small, family-led citizen-science initiative dedicated to understanding and supporting Arizona’s native solitary bees—especially Blue Orchard (mason) bees and Leafcutter bees.
We may be (mostly) retired business professionals, but our curiosity, love of problem-solving, and passion for discovery never retired. What began as a simple backyard experiment has grown into a meaningful project focused on research, education, and helping people better understand some of nature’s most overlooked pollinators.
Jim Sarina
Co-Founder & Lead Researcher
Jim brings his passion for practical problem-solving and data tracking to every aspect of the project — from site selection to spreadsheet design to field monitoring.
Michelle Sarina
Co-Founder & Community Liaison
With her background in Arizona real estate, Michelle helps connect our work to local communities, schools, and property owners who want to make their land more pollinator-friendly.
Gene DeBons
Fellow Researcher & Collaboration
Gene's expertise in fieldwork and observation has been invaluable in designing our nesting studies and monitoring protocols. A longtime collaborator and driving force behind the project.
How It Started
The project began with a simple observation: while honeybees face well-publicized struggles, Arizona's native solitary bees are incredibly efficient pollinators that often go unnoticed. We wondered — could we help these bees succeed in the Sonoran Desert and the varied environments around us?
Starting in 2020–2021, we placed bee cocoons and nesting blocks at multiple real-world sites: residential lots in Gilbert, properties in Flowing Springs, and other carefully chosen Arizona locations. We tracked temperature, humidity, nesting activity, propagation rates, and seasonal patterns. Every detail was recorded in open spreadsheets and summarized in our freely available reports.
What started as a backyard experiment quickly grew into a small citizen-science effort focused on practical results rather than academic theory.
Why We Do This
We believe ordinary people can make a meaningful difference for pollinators. Our goal has always been to:
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Generate honest, usable data about how solitary bees adapt to Arizona's unique climates.
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Share everything openly so K-12 schools, scout troops, master gardeners, farmers, and other non-profits can learn from — and build on — our work.
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Encourage more Arizonans to create simple bee habitats on their own properties.
No hype or sales pitch, just transparent research and a genuine invitation to join the effort.
Our Approach
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Small-scale, low-cost, and replicable methods anyone can try.
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Detailed field notes, cost tracking, and open data sharing.
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Focus on real-world conditions rather than perfect lab settings.
We're still active and always learning. The project continues as life and schedules allow, and we welcome questions, ideas, and collaboration from anyone who shares our passion.
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