To finish his Eagle Scout project, Perrysburg High School student Ian Russell, a member of Troop 110, erected his fifth and final bee nursery at W.W. Knight Nature Preserve, June 12.

The project was funded by the Country Garden Club (CGC) of Perrysburg and Ian himself.

Of all the pollinators Ian could have chosen, he went with bees partly because of their endangered status.

“There are many reasons for the decline of the pollinator population in general,” said Ian. “One reason that affects solitary bees is the many dangers their offspring are subjected to by humans and wildlife.”

Providing secure places for cavity-dwelling female solitary bees to deposit their eggs without having them endangered by insecticides, bird beaks, or squirrel and raccoon paws became Ian’s mission. These solutions are known as bee hotels, condos and nurseries.

Ian, the son of Paul and Rhonda Russell, accepted complete responsibility and ownership for the project, said Judy Reitzel, of the CGC.

“After intense research, he settled on a critter-proof design that denies birds, squirrels and raccoons access to the nurseries.”

Ian held several build days with helping hands from family, friends and Cub Scouts while heeding COVID-19 guidelines.

“Five bee nurseries were constructed, and Ian set out to find public placement locations,” Ms. Reitzel said. “He sent letters describing the intent and construction to local park entities to solicit permission to place a bee nursery.”

The other four bee nurseries are at the Children’s Resource Center in Bowling Green, 577 Foundation, Davis Overlook Park off of West River Road and Simpson Garden Park in Bowling Green.

Ian learned a lot from working on the project.

“Once I started to really do research, it opened my eyes to how important bees are to the environment.

“I think a big takeaway for people to share is that honeybees are invasive to North America and are not the species that really needs to be protected. They were brought over to farm honey and [were part of the reason for] the drop in native pollinators over the years.

“There are plenty of resources online if people want to make their own bee boxes. They can range from the size of a bird house to as big as a shed and can be as simple as drilling holes in a log.

“My message to other scouts is to not be afraid and to think outside the box with your Eagle project. Many scouts just build a picnic table or a bookshelf from a kit. If you can find a beneficiary, don’t limit yourself, even if it looks intimidating. Who knows? You might surprise yourself.”