How to make a Bee Hotel
Help the Solitary Bees by building them a nest site.
The majority of bees are solitary and make single nest cells, rather than working with many other bees to raise huge numbers of offspring in shared nests. The solitary bees are important pollinators. You can help them by building a bee hotel for your home, school or garden. There are many different species of solitary bee. The female bee lays an egg on top of a mass of pollen at the end of a hollow tube, she then seals the entrance with a plug of mud. A long tube can hold several such cells.
Hollow stems, such as old bamboo canes, or holes drilled into blocks of wood, make good nest sites for Solitary bees. Holes of different diameters mean many different species can be catered for.
What to do
- Nail or screw the sides of the back at the longest edge.
- Slip the base piece between the side pieces and nail or screw in place.
- Nail or screw on to the side pieces. You will need to shape the short side nearest the back so that it fits snugly. The roof should overhang at the front so that rain falls off.
- Pack the inside of your hotel with lengths of bamboo cane.
What you need (suggested materials)
Hammer
Screwdriver
Galvanised nails or screws
Plank of untreated timber
140mm wide x 15mm thick and
530mm long
Plank of untreated timber
160mm wide x 15mm thick and
480mm long
Bamboo canes 10mm in
diameter and cut 140mm long
