Today 
Overview
Give beneficial pollinating insects a home by making a bee hotel. The female of the non-aggressive mason bee species spends most of her life searching for hollow stems to use as a nest. So why not make a bee hotel for her in which she can lay her eggs? Collect old flower stalks or bamboo canes, follow our simple steps and you could be watching the fascinating insects in your garden this summer.
Do it:
March
Takes just:
1 hour
How to do it
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Cut the plank into four pieces to make a rectangular frame for the bee hotel. Drill guide holes for the screws and assemble the frame as if making a box.
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Snip your stems into lengths that are the depth of the box, discarding any bent or knobbly ones. Stems need to be straight so that the female bee can lay a number of eggs in each.
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Carefully pack the frame of the bee hotel with the stems - only as you add the final few does the whole lattice lock solid.
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Hang your bee hotel on a sunny wall, sheltered from the rain, and wait for the mason bees to investigate it in the spring.
"Although Japanese knotweed is a real pest, its dead stems are perfect for the bee hotel. Easy to gather and cut, they are available in a range of diameters, including 3-5mm, as preferred by the bees."
