Marshall-Putnam Soil & Water Conservation District

04/23/2026

04/23/2026

If you are looking for something to do with Mom on May 9th, take her to Herman Brothers Fisheries, Realty, and Excavation Open house!! The team there is amazing and being able to see the operation up close is truly an experience. Take some time to see what it is all about and get your questions answered about pond stocking locally with one of our sales!

04/23/2026

That bumblebee flying low and slow along your foundation isn't foraging. She's house-hunting.

A queen bumblebee in late April has already mated, already hibernated through winter, and already emerged. She's been feeding on early flowers for a few weeks, building her fat reserves back up. Now she needs a nest site. And she's being extremely picky.

She flies low — inches off the ground — in a methodical zigzag along walls, foundations, rock borders, and garden edges. She investigates every hole, crack, and gap. She goes into some, backs out, moves on. She's checking cavity size, drainage, insulation, and entrance concealment.

What she's looking for: an abandoned mouse burrow. Underground, dry, insulated with old mouse bedding, with a tunnel entrance small enough to defend. Most bumblebee nests in suburban yards are in former mouse holes under sheds, along foundations, in old stone walls, or in undisturbed garden borders.

When she finds one, she moves in alone. She builds a small wax cup, lays the first batch of eggs, and incubates them with her own body heat — vibrating her flight muscles to generate warmth. She does everything herself for the first two weeks. Then the first workers emerge and the colony builds.

🔎 What to do if you see one:

- Don't swat. She's not interested in you. She's interested in the gap between your patio stones.
- Don't block holes along your foundation. That may be the entrance she chose last year or is evaluating now.
- If you know where a bumblebee nested last year, leave that area undisturbed. Queens sometimes return to the same site.

The zigzag along your wall isn't random. It's a real estate search.

She's choosing where an entire colony will be born 🐝

04/18/2026

Yesterday was an absolutely perfect day for a pond stocking fish sale! The sun was out, coffee was hot and Herman Bros Fisheries were excellent! Look for the info for the fall sale this summer and call with questions!

04/13/2026

Are you looking for something to do on the rainy days? Take some time and fill out our survey! The questions and answers help us to guide conservation in Marshall and Putnam Counties.

https://forms.office.com/g/6HRT00Ny8z

It is completely anonymous!

04/08/2026

Please join us in welcoming our newest Farm Bill Biologist, Ainslee Stroup! 🎉🎉
Ainslee went to Illinois College and graduated in 2024 with a bachelor's degree in biology/ecology!
Her coverage area includes Bureau, Stark, Putnam, Marshall, La Salle, Kendall, Grundy, Will and Kankakee counties. We are excited to have you, Ainslee! 👏👏

To find your local PF/QF Biologist visit 👉 https://www.ihuntil.com/team-illinois/

04/01/2026

You have 3 days to get your orders in! Call or stop in today!

This is the last week to get your fish orders in!! Call, email or stop in!

03/31/2026

https://forms.office.com/g/6HRT00Ny8z

03/30/2026

This is the last week to get your fish orders in!! Call, email or stop in!

03/25/2026

Friday is the last day for Grass Carp orders!!! Everything else is due by April 3rd. Let's get those orders in!!!

Dedicated to putting conservation on the ground in Marshall and Putnam Counties.