Only tube nesting solitary bees will use the kind of bee house i describe here.
Bee nesting box plans.
You can easily recognize them because they are the only bumble bees flying out there for the moment.
On this page providing nest sites making a nest box food siting your nest box success and failure nest box predators.
An untreated wooden plank at least 10 cm wide.
Build a nest box for bumblebees.
Use a small piece of sandpaper wrapped around a piece of dowel or a pencil to clean up the edges of the freshly drilled holes.
Smaller bees such as harebell bees chelostoma sp and masked or yellow faced bees hylaeus spp are also attracted to nest boxes a range of solitary wasps may also use the nest box these will act as a great natural pest control in your garden collecting flies small caterpillars and aphids to provision their nests.
Bumblebees like to nest in warm sheltered sites.
Different species have differing nest preferences however the easiest ones to provide for are the surface and above ground nesters.
Many mason ee house plans feature wider deeper designs allowing for longer tunnels and the deeper the depth of the nest box the better for the bees.
Some species will nest in holes in the ground while others will look for old beetle holes or hollow stems in which to lay their eggs.
Providing bumblebee nest sites.
If you can provide a suitable home these bees will come to you.
Solitary bee houses are not bumblebee nest boxes.
The female spends most of her life searching for suitable nesting sites.
In addition to their role in increasing bee abundance bee hotels can be an educational and fun way to learn about wild bees.
It is mid march now and this is the moment here in the netherlands that the bumblebee queens are coming out of hibernation.
The needs of bumblebees are very different their nests consist of communal wax combs which they construct mostly in holes underground in long tussocky grasses bird boxes under eaves or compost bins.
Building nesting boxes also known as bee.
Tumbleweeds and thyme nesting box plans this is another design of nesting boxes which are built to hang on a wall.
Bee hotels can be built on any budget for farms gardens and parks.