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."
Comments and rating
Overall rating (from 6 ratings):
5 out of 5
We saw bees using a small hole under a waterfall construction in the garden, last year and could hear noise of the activity under there,(bees buzzing ) but as a bee tried to enter this spring it was prevented by a large spider, Does this mean that this location will not be used by the bees again or will they try to gain access from another hole, I hope so because we would love to have them back. I found your blog very interesting and I will use some of your tips to try and get them to return.
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4 out of 5
very interesting ill try it
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Try a winebox and fennel and elder stems for a more extensive hotel...
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2 out of 5
It's ok if you like bees!!!
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I've built two beehotels. First too loosely stuffes, later I learned to pack the stens very dense. Nevertheless, both have been damaged by birds. The stems are lying around. We do see bee activity, but not a lot.
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3 out of 5
What is the best way to get bumble bees to nest in my compost heap.
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5 out of 5
These are great! I already own one that I bought online from a seller in Edinburgh on a craft site, and had great success with it. I don't think I'm allowed to say what site though... But anyway, now I can make one of my own! Thanks for the instructions.
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rogerdennis rated and commented on this article
05 March 2009
5 out of 5
Last year I made a hedgehog house, dont knpow yet whether I had one take up residence as I havent looked yet
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