I don't know of any references, but I do know (from reading the net) that someone in Oregon is using agricultural/gardening fairs to market "bee houses." These are not for bumble bees, but for carpenter bees, which are closely related. It's a wooden nest block. Since carpenter bees are territorial, this has limited use, though, as only one nest can be supported in a given area. (Interestingly, my Apache uncle used to hang up nest blocks for carpenter bees, too. He claimed they brought luck to your house.) I haven't heard of anyone trying to cultivate bumblebees, but it would seem like a logical progression---*provided you figure out how to create a suitable nest site to attract bumblebees.* It's easier with carpenter bees, as they are attracted to wood blocks with appropriately-sized holes, much the way you can lure birds to a birdhouse. Carpenter bees seem to be the primary pollinators of my sweet peas, being one of the few bees with enough body mass to depress the keel of a large modern hybrid sweet pea. -Jane Beckman [[log in to unmask]]