Presenter: Justina Block

Location: In-person at Lebanon Citizens National Bank (LCNB)

Justina Block began raising solitary native bees more than 13 years ago. As an enthusiast turned advocate and now business owner, Justina is the founder of the Osmia Bee Company and produces sustainable homes for the world’s most powerful pollinators: bees! Through education and advocacy, Osmia Bee Company's mission is to provide communities with the power to help save the bees in their own backyards. 

Justina has forged partnerships (and friendships!) with many organizations that are committed to supporting bees and other pollinators, including The Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden and Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest. 

She is proud to be on the NAPPC ( North America Pollinator Protection Campaign) Pollinator Communication Task Force Committee and The Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden Horticulture Committee. Osmia Bee received a 2023 Grant from USDA NCR- SARE Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education and is collaborating with Penn State University, Ohio State University, The Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden, Greenacers Foundation, Ohio Prairie Nursery and other organizations. 

What you will Learn: Exploring the beauty and bounty of native bees in the Cincinnati area. Attendees will learn about the diversity of sizes, colors, and lifestyles of bees in Ohio and why they are important to the health of the ecosystem. Justina will explain how to distinguish between bees, wasps, and flies and ways you can encourage native bees to nest in your backyard.