How to make a bee hotel

[@danjackson4149]

my old wooden hi-fi speakers are going to be reincarnated into a quieter, more peaceful afterlife as a luxury residence for bees! ....and so is my rickety bedside cabinet !

[@LisaBevill-ProSinger1]

Very cool video, thanks for keeping it short and sweet and to the point!

[@COHikerGirl]

It's worth mentioning that, to avoid leaving too-rough interiors in drilled holes, entomologists STRONGLY recommend using hardwoods, NOT soft woods. Also, I've read that it's better to make the stems 7-8" long rather than 5-6", in order to best balance the male/female ratio of the larvae, which is affected in some species by how deep they're placed in the stems.

[@someblokecalleddave1]

The other issue is who the hell has drill bits that are longer than 6"? I've got a load of wood 'Bits' but none of them are longer than 6" that's for sure. Having said, that the bloke has his canes sticking out a lot further than the drill sections of tree, so perhaps some bees like a good 8" and maybe smaller varieties are okay with only 5"?

[@Sam-cr5wn]

Yes and treated wood I've seen isn't the best for them either

[@nunyaplayz]

made quite a few of these years ago and i found in my area 6mm was perfect perfect for the bees, under 6mm attracted small wasps which are equally important to pollenation

[@SkillBuilder]

Thank you for this video. It is important that we make homes for bees where and when we can.

[@philupdegrave731]

This is the one I'll build. Thanks for posting.

[@nickskidmore1437]

Great video! Short, informative, good presenter - thank you

[@ranahki]

Very useful instructions, presented in a cool and reassuring way, thanks a lot.

[@howardwalwyn4448]

Great video - I have done one exactly as instructed ready for this spring - thanks so much - great tip on the bamboo fencing! 🐝🐝

[@Fleed907]

update plz

[@robbepinsart4240]

Some tips: - aim the entrance to the south (avoid rain by a roof and possibly some boards on the side) - 1m high isn't nessesairy, just above your knee's is fine (just not on the ground) - 2mm - 10 mm, i would say 3mm - 8mm, bee's are rarely been found in holes bigger than 8mm and smaller than 3mm.

[@waymarkerbushcraft]

How long does the hotel last? Do you need to replace the tubes each year? What is the best time of year to put a hotel out?

[@hannahchurch3720]

hi - what is the best time of year to replace some of the tubes?

[@madgepickles]

Wonderful thanks, can't wait to make mine

[@liamstacey419]

The problem with bee hotels is that they do breed tiny parasitoid wasps - the species diversity is probably greater than that of bees. Solution: leave the old pithy dead brambles on your property. Randomly drill holes in upright wooden posts (no telephone posts please!). Rock piles and compacted bare sandy ground is excellent for ground nesting species - (They tend to cluster where the soil is just right). Most important: plant wild flowers - preferably natives - they produce more nectar than the hybrid showy ones. Also consider habitat for ground beetles. They eat slugs and snails.

[@RayPublicHealth]

Liam Stacey - Is this true in the US also or just UK? could you please post links to more info? Last thing we want to do is create a new problem while trying to protect and promote healthy bees!

[@liamstacey419]

@@RayPublicHealth there are cuckoo wasps, and parasitoid wasps, woodpeckers and many other predators of solitary bees the world over. I am writing from Seattle where I have seen all this in my back yard. Many parasitoids can be controlled by keeping the larvae at a higher temperature after the season. Bee breeders do this and I don't know the procedure, but this is why they use paper straws to take out the larvae. I suspect that parasitoids specialize in particular species of bees, so that a variety of hole sizes would provide habitat for a variety of bees, and offer less specific breeding sites for parasitoids. It is not really a huge problem since the parasitoids find their prey in the wild - even with their tiny brains and the complexity of the environment. The main problem is when people "clean up" their garden: routinely digging up soil banks that were habitat for ground nesting bees, and removing all old standing twigs and brambles that have pithy stems. The larger bees nested in holes in dead trees created by large wood boring beetles - but standing beetle killed trees are rare in urban areas. Again, strong nectar sources are critical - especially in modern agricultural settings that lack hedgerows (this is the real crisis). Many suburban neighborhoods are what we call a green desert: grass, junipers, ivy, and showy flowers that don't produce nectar, and none of it feeding any herbivorous insects other than Crain Flies - whose larvae feed on grass roots.

[@johnraffensperger]

Thanks! I'm going to do this.

[@tramachi7027]

Yo...just saw a bunch of bees on the first blooming plant infront of our house and remembered that solitary bees exist. :D Definetely gonna build one. Probably this year, before it start to cool off. If not, imma keep it inhouse and place it next year :)

[@ulyssemusic66]

Congrats! Very instructive video. Will try to do the same.

[@ce5890]

Hi, how deep do you drill the holes?

[@KeeKee...]

I'm doing it for my school because it's the theme for the ECCO challenge

[@CheeKiatTeo]

Bees are cute...

[@laurenhoward626]

Could you close them up at night then bring them to, let say...a field of cucumber that needed polinating?

[@avonwildlifetrust4101]

Thanks for getting in contact @laurenhoward626 It’s not recommended to move bee hotels during summer or spring months in order to protect the bee eggs inside. People tend to move bee hotels, if at all, between October - February to somewhere dry and unheated like a shed. You could try creating a bee bank or bee hotels in your field to encourage pollination.

[@bigoldgrizzly]

Do solitary bees suffer from varroa mite ??

[@miltonsills7383]

How deep do I need to drill the holes please?

[@justanm]

until you hit china! just kdding, but he did say "anything between 2mm and 10mm is perfect"

[@robbepinsart4240]

You can choose, just the length of your drill is fine (the more deeper the holes, the more eggs they can lay)

[@tuboid001]

@@justanm He's asking for the depth of the holes not the diameter.

[@DenmarkNo1]

Thanks!

[@2sam16]

Some bees have set up home under a garden step what should I do

[@oceanblueanimations4739]

Leave them *bee*

[@oceanblueanimations4739]

Haha kill me now

[@someblokecalleddave1]

@@oceanblueanimations4739 I was going to exactly that!

[@tonyluu4123]

nice

[@daraxus7689]

He's so handsome 😰

[@RoSouza]

LIKE.

[@MarkNSmyth]

Bamboo isn't the best. Buy card nest tubes from CJ Wildlife