Making a
Simple Bee House
A nest of bees is a natural way to pollinate garden
plants. Bees are very useful insects to have in the garden and
providing them with a simple homemade bee house can be
beneficial for you and your garden. If you are committed to an
organic style of gardening then a homemade bee house is the
perfect tool to make your gardening more eco friendly.
You can of course buy the same thing at a home gardening store
but it costs more. Depending on the type of bee you want to
attract there are different types of houses you can create. You
will probably find the materials around your house quite
readily.
Orchard Mason Bees
If you want to make a bee house for orchard mason bees then the
process is very simple. You will need untreated softwood such as
cedar, fir or redwood. Take a piece that is maybe about four by
four inches large and drill holes in the wood.
You want to drill holes that are about 3 and half inches deep
and maybe a half-inch wide. The holes shouldn’t go all the way
through the wood. If you feel birds might be a threat to your
bee house then cover the wood with chicken wire. Now fix your
bee house to your house in southerly direction. You can also fix
it to trees or fence posts.
Bumblebee Houses
A bee house for bumblebee is completely different but similarly
easy to make. All you need is a large coffee can with a plastic
snap on lid. Take a piece of corrugated cardboard and cut it so
that it fits snugly around the sides of the coffee can. As long
as you cut it so that it fits nicely in the can there is no need
to glue it to the can.
You will also need cardboard pieces to fit the top and bottom of
the bee house. Cut a hole that’s about three quarters of an inch
wide in the piece of cardboard at the mouth of the can. Cut a
piece of window screen or chicken mesh to cover the mouth and
cut a hole in the wire to correspond with the hole in the
cardboard.
Before placing the top on you want to drill holes about an eight
of an inch wide in the back of the can and on the side of the
can that will be the bottom (the can will be mounted so that it
lies horizontally). This gives the bee house good ventilation.
You also need to fill the bee house with some type of fibrous
material until it is a third of half full. Wool, an old bird’s
nest, animal hair or fiberglass insulation are good to use.
Avoid using cotton wool or surgical wool as it is too fine and
the bees will become trapped in it. Now mount your bee house in
a place sheltered from rain and you’re good to go.
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