3 Ways to Make a Bee Hotel (2024)

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Last Updated: February 21, 2022

1. 1

   Gather your materials:

   • Cylindrical, waterproof housing, at least 10cm deep (e.g. PVC pipe, tin can, terracotta garden pot, ceramic cup/mug with handle, plastic bottle trimmed to a cylinder)
   • Tubes (e.g. dried bamboo reeds, rolled newspaper or paper straws)
   • Stems (e.g. dried pithy stems such as from trimming hedges or removing weedy shrubs like Lantana spp.)
   • Fastening (e.g. string, wool or cable ties)
   • Something to cut your tubes (e.g. scissors or secateurs)
2. 2

   Make a small hole at the end of your housing and thread some fastening through it so that you can hang up your hotel later. Cups and mugs already have a handle so don’t need this step. Tie the string together in aloose bow until you’re ready to use it.

3. 3

   Take a tube/stem and place it inside, then cut it so that it’s just a little shorter than the length of the housing. It’s important to leave a gap between the entrance and your tubes/stems to protect them from rain. Use thisfirst cut tube/stem as a template for cutting the remaining tubes/stems. You can make your own tubes from newspaper and glue by cutting strips of newspaper about the width of a ruler, gluing a thin line down one length, then rolling from one corner to the other on an angle using a long paintbrush or pencil.

4. 4

   Make sure to pack the housing tight with enough tubes/stems so that they don’t fall out.

   • Optional: Coverthe entrance with wire mesh small enough to hold the tubes/stems in place but large enough to let bees in.
5. 5

   Fasten the hotel, as level as you can, one to two metres above the ground in a sheltered area (e.g. under a tree) with lots of flowering plants. Face the hotel entrance to the north-east so it gets morning sun.

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   See Also

   Bee hotels for solitary bees: a simple guide | Friends of the EarthHow to Make a Bee Hotel: A Step-by-Step DIY GuideWhat is a Bee Hotel? Its Inhabitants, Importance and MaintenanceWhat Is a Bee Hotel? A Beginner’s Guide to Garden Bee Hotels

1. 1

   Gather your materials:

   • Untreated timber or logs (at least 12 cm long and 3.5 cm wide/high)
   • Electric drill
   • Drill bit (6mm and/or 8mm) long enough to make cavities 10mm deep
   • Safety goggles and mask
   • Hammer, nail, pencil and ruler (to make starter holes, for safety)
   • Sandpaper
   • Fastening (e.g. string, wire, cable ties, bracket and screws)
   • Optional: Round wood file
2. 2

   Secure your piece of timber, face up, so that it does not move when drilling holes (e.g. with a vice to a carpentry bench).

3. 3

   Mark each position where you will drill your cavities with a pencil. Leave enough room between cavities (twice the width of your drill bit) to reduce the risk of your timber cracking.

4. 4

   Hammer in the nails. Holding the nail carefully, gently hammer it a short depth into each pencil mark, then remove.

5. 5

   Drill the cavities. Wearing your safety goggles and mask, align your drill bit with a starter hole and carefully begin to drill one of your cavities straight down into your timber. You may need to stop (turning off the drill) every now andthen and tap any sawdust out of the cavity-in-progress to aid in drilling.

   • Repeat this process for each marked cavity.
6. 6

   Remove your timber from the vice and tap it upside down to dislodge any sawdust. Use a round wood file and sandpaper to remove any splinters from cavity entrances.

7. 7

   Fasten the hotel, as level as you can, one to two metres above the ground in a sheltered area (e.g. under a tree) with lots of flowering plants. Face the hotel entrance to the north-east so it gets morning sun.

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1. 1

   Gather your materials:

   • Rectangular, waterproof housing, at least 12 cm deep (e.g. PVC pipe, recycled milk carton, terracotta pot, besser block)
   • Filling (sandy loam and white ball clay)
   • Water
   • Cup or container for measuring
2. 2

   In a bucket or large container, mix 4 parts sand with 1 part clay until you have enough mixture to fill your housing. For a 1L milk carton, which makes two hotels when cut in half, you will need 4 cups of sand and 1cup of clay. For a pot or a besser block, you will need more.

3. 3

   Add a little bit of water at a time while mixing, until it the mixture is wet enough to hold together when made into a ball. Usually no more than 1 cup.

4. 4

   Pack the mixture into your housing (standing upright), leaving a small gap between the entrance and filling to protect the nest from rain.

5. 5

   Make two shallow indents with your finger, a pencil or a paintbrush to act as starter holes for your bees.

6. 6

   See Also

   The Basics of Making a Bee Hotel - Backyard Beekeeping

   Wait for the mixture to dry (a few hours or days, weather depending).

7. 7

   Place your bee hotel in a sheltered area with lots of flowering plants. Place it on top of something else to lift it off the ground a little, like a brick or stack of timber or tiles, so it doesn’t get too damp. Finally, turn the hotelto the north-east so it gets the morning sun.

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