How to Make a Bee Hotel

Bee hotels, also known as trap nests or Fabre's hives, are human-made nesting substrates that can be used as supplementary habitats for solitary bees. It's estimated that there are over 20,000 bee species worldwide and most of these are solitary species. These bees are different to the European honeybee, which is a social species; or bumblebees, which are semi-social. Most species of solitary bees can nest below ground  in the soil or aboveground in cavities. Some species are opportunistic in that they make use of pre-existing burrows or cavities, others excavate their own. A good bee hotel uses a variety of materials to accommodate bees with different nesting requirements.

Method 1
Method 1 of 3:

Fill an open container with reeds and stems

    • 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. Cups and mugs already have a handle so don’t need this step. Tie the string together in a loose bow until you’re ready to use it.
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  3. It’s important to leave a gap between the entrance and your tubes/stems to protect them from rain. Use this first 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.
    • Optional: Cover the entrance with wire mesh small enough to hold the tubes/stems in place but large enough to let bees in.
  5. 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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Method 2
Method 2 of 3:

Drill holes in untreated timber

    • 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. with a vice to a carpentry bench).
  3. Leave enough room between cavities (twice the width of your drill bit) to reduce the risk of your timber cracking.
  4. Holding the nail carefully, gently hammer it a short depth into each pencil mark, then remove.
  5. 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 and then and tap any sawdust out of the cavity-in-progress to aid in drilling.
    • Repeat this process for each marked cavity.
  6. Use a round wood file and sandpaper to remove any splinters from cavity entrances.
  7. 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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Method 3
Method 3 of 3:

Build a cob block

    • 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. For a 1L milk carton, which makes two hotels when cut in half, you will need 4 cups of sand and 1 cup of clay. For a pot or a besser block, you will need more.
  3. Usually no more than 1 cup.
  4. Pack the mixture into your housing (standing upright), leaving a small gap between the entrance and filling to protect the nest from rain.
  7. 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 hotel to the north-east so it gets the morning sun.
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      Tips

      • Maintain the hotel by clearing away cobwebs and replacing tubes/timber/cob after each flying season.
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      • Position your hotels so that they are in contact with warm morning sun, but not afternoon sun if you live in a hot area. This promotes bee activity as some smaller species can't fly if it's too cold.
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      • Try to use non-spray methods of pest and weed control in the surrounding area.
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      Warnings

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      References

      1. https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/2041-210X.13070
      2. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13592-016-0477-z
      3. https://www.aussiebee.com.au/aussiebeeonline008.pdf
      4. https://doi.org/10.3390/insects11120853

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