Bee Hotels
Continued urbanization has caused a severe drop in our native bee populations. Solitary pollinators habitats are being destroyed, leaving no place to lay their eggs for the next spring. This negatively affects the needed cross pollination for our natural environment and gardens.
You can help support and boost our bee populations. Making and putting out a Bee hotel gives a home to all the larvae and eggs, as well as attracting bees to your garden for pollination.
Continue down for more information on a bee hotel of your own
Do you have a Bee Hotel? To help us collect data and determine which design is best for nesting native bees, please fill out this survey about your bee hotel.
Common Questions
But don't bees sting? I have kids/ am allergic to bees
Do not worry! These bees are solitary pollinators, and they are naturally very docile, and do not sting unless directly attacked. Mostly they just fly away if they feel threatened.
Is it a lot of work to keep?
After the initial making/buying of your bee hotel, the only maintenance is replacing the bee tubes in late spring.
Make Your Own Bee Hotel
1
Materials You Need
Waterproof Container preferably *6 or more inches tall
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Tin Can
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Open Mouth Glass Jar
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Ceramic Container
String yarn or twine
Nesting Tubes (6" long)
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Bamboo
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Natural Reeds
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Hollow Plant Stems
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Cardboard Straws
Paint or a any decorations you want to add
*6" is important, to promote female bees, which will boost the population of your bees.
2
Put It All Together
Use the twine and tie it around your tin can so it can hang sideways
Paint the outside of your tin can. and make it your own!
Put your bee tubes inside your new bee hotel. The more tubes you have, the more bees you can attract.
3
Hang Your Hotel
Hang your bee hotel outside, facing the east so it gets the bright morning sun or in the area with the most sunlight.
Every year, in early summer, these tubes should be composted and replaced for the next generation of solitary pollinators.
Helpful Resources & Links
If you want to learn more about solitary pollinators, insects and ways you can help our environment, check out the links below!
Attracting More Bees
Maintenance