Bee House

I have a few flowering Hebes which are alive with bees today, they're actually humming!  This got me thinking... where do all the bees go at night?  Is there a Bee Hotel locally?  Probably not, so the little buzzers are going to need somewhere to rest, particularly over winter.

I started looking around the garden for something to make a bee house.  You're going to need the following if you want to make a bee house.

• Bamboo canes
• Sticks
• Container (metal, wood or plastic)
• String/Velcro/Wire
• Cutters/loppers

Make sure the container you're going to use is clean and waterproof.  I've used a metal planter which has a drain hole in the bottom.  You can use just about anything, baked bean tin, washing up liquid bottle, just make sure it's washed really well.

Cut the bamboo and sticks to length, about the same as the depth of the container.  They can be shorter or longer so cutting accuracy is not essential.  secateurs are ideal for cutting bamboo but you may need loppers for bigger sticks. 

Pack the sticks in the container, putting them in a random pattern.  Keep packing them in until they're tight and will not fall out but make sure you leave gaps... the bees need somewhere to go!

Keep in mind a metal container is going to heat up a lot quicker than wood or plastic so it's an idea to cover it with something.  I have some artificial turf off cuts so I've wrapped the container in it, fixing it with string.  It's a bit quirky but works really well.  Again, you could use anything.  If you have loads of bamboo left, try surrounding the container.  A hot glue gun would help, just make sure you use wire or string to keep it in place.

I used the Velcro strip to hold the bee house securely to a suitable branch in the Buddleia which is also a haven for bees.  Mount the Bee House about 1m to 1.5m from the ground.

Just need some bees now!

It also blends in well.