Bee Boxes/Insect Hotels are a great addition to any garden to attract and support solitary bees who look for holes to lay their egg(s) annually from June to September. Typically in a four season climate (Southern Ontario) this just means finding a sheltered winter storage location, like the corner of a shed. When average daytime highs are nearing 0/32F, bring the box in, and return the box to your garden in about March when it’s done snowing (for good).
The box is 20″x12″x 5″ made from untreated cedar 1″x6″, and using dried bamboo cut to 4.75″ lengths and glued. I actually used as much of my own homegrown portuguese bamboo (dendrocalamus) as I could harvest this year which wasn’t nearly enough, so I had to cut bamboo fencing bought from the local hardware store. The roof is made of white cedar shingles overlapped in three, and with copper cap plate just for aesthetic and for that future green oxide tint.
Inside, there are six pieces of birch secured with holes drilled for nesting, and birch seems to attract patchwork leafcutter bees in particular which are about the size of a honeybee and love to cut up bits of leaves and flowers from your garden – lots of colourful “plugs” to seal up their eggs by the Fall! The lower compartment has two different species of pine cones stuffed in (small & large unsure which species) as a shelter/nest spot for some beneficial insects like spiders, bagworms/moths, ladybugs and beetles. The bagworms are technically a pest for gardens, but they’re a delicacy for parasitic wasps which would otherwise solely go after our solitary bees, who we’re trying to give a good home to! *Cue the Circle of Life.*
aw2669
Beautiful! This is so thoughtfully crafted. I love the carvings, they’re very delicate and suit the house perfectly. They will love them!
A solitary bee home is now something I definitely need for my garden.
areyoucleam
They look very nice and well crafted!
Winter_Engine2973
Look great, I was given a bee box but only lasted a few years before it fell apart.
Make my own nestboxes so will have a go at making a few of these.
Accomplished_Fig9606
Awesome
kevnmartin
What a great gift! I would love to receive something like this.
purpledog4
These are fabulous!! 🐝💜
houlio64
I bought a couple of bee boxes a few years ago, sadly they did not stand up well. These are amazing! I love to garden and these are such thoughtful and beautiful gifts .
Scary_Perspective572
Nice work well done!
Crzndeb
Beautiful work. I prefer my reed tubes to be removable, so I can clean out my cocoons in the fall and put in fridge until spring. I use new tubes every year in their houses.
aReelProblem
These are so awesome but woodpeckers and blue jays treat mine like a drive by buffet. Circle of life I suppose!
CelestialPhenyx
The leaf detail is beautiful.
jacknbarneysmom
Just lovely!
nicbeans311
r/trypophobia
Kammy44
Omgosh do you have a pattern? I want one and my husband is a woodworker. This is AWESOME! I have 2, but some birds pecked a hole in it, and made it a nesting box. My other one is being held together with duct tape.
Pandatams
I love that!! What a beautiful thing you did. The craftsmanship is wonderful!! I love it!!
RiverSong61
Very nice!
Inevitable-Poet-8967
We have several near our garden, our Mason Bee Village.
hockeyhonky
This is the kind of handmade gift that actually gets used. A lot of store bought bee houses look nice but don’t hold up well or end up being ignored. The deeper tubes and the way everything is packed in here should make a real difference once it’s mounted in a dry spot.
Oona22
beautiful work — and what a considerate gift!! Well done; these are going to be a hit!
Fit-Offer3231
WOW 😍 These are absolutely gorgeous and so well built!
Honest_Archaeopteryx
I have read these are bad for bees because they make spreading diseases more likely, and it’s a one-stop shop for predators? Hate to even say it because these look so great. Would love to hear from experts!
Altruistic-Car2880
Very nice! One suggestion would be to make the side walls longer than the bottom by an inch or so- not mitered. This allows rain water to shed off with no wicking through the miter and into the bottom of the box. This helps with keeping moisture out of bluebird and chickadee houses also.
23 Comments
Bee Boxes/Insect Hotels are a great addition to any garden to attract and support solitary bees who look for holes to lay their egg(s) annually from June to September. Typically in a four season climate (Southern Ontario) this just means finding a sheltered winter storage location, like the corner of a shed. When average daytime highs are nearing 0/32F, bring the box in, and return the box to your garden in about March when it’s done snowing (for good).
The box is 20″x12″x 5″ made from untreated cedar 1″x6″, and using dried bamboo cut to 4.75″ lengths and glued. I actually used as much of my own homegrown portuguese bamboo (dendrocalamus) as I could harvest this year which wasn’t nearly enough, so I had to cut bamboo fencing bought from the local hardware store. The roof is made of white cedar shingles overlapped in three, and with copper cap plate just for aesthetic and for that future green oxide tint.
Inside, there are six pieces of birch secured with holes drilled for nesting, and birch seems to attract patchwork leafcutter bees in particular which are about the size of a honeybee and love to cut up bits of leaves and flowers from your garden – lots of colourful “plugs” to seal up their eggs by the Fall! The lower compartment has two different species of pine cones stuffed in (small & large unsure which species) as a shelter/nest spot for some beneficial insects like spiders, bagworms/moths, ladybugs and beetles. The bagworms are technically a pest for gardens, but they’re a delicacy for parasitic wasps which would otherwise solely go after our solitary bees, who we’re trying to give a good home to! *Cue the Circle of Life.*
Beautiful! This is so thoughtfully crafted. I love the carvings, they’re very delicate and suit the house perfectly. They will love them!
A solitary bee home is now something I definitely need for my garden.
They look very nice and well crafted!
Look great, I was given a bee box but only lasted a few years before it fell apart.
Make my own nestboxes so will have a go at making a few of these.
Awesome
What a great gift! I would love to receive something like this.
These are fabulous!! 🐝💜
I bought a couple of bee boxes a few years ago, sadly they did not stand up well. These are amazing! I love to garden and these are such thoughtful and beautiful gifts .
Nice work well done!
Beautiful work. I prefer my reed tubes to be removable, so I can clean out my cocoons in the fall and put in fridge until spring. I use new tubes every year in their houses.
These are so awesome but woodpeckers and blue jays treat mine like a drive by buffet. Circle of life I suppose!
The leaf detail is beautiful.
Just lovely!
r/trypophobia
Omgosh do you have a pattern? I want one and my husband is a woodworker. This is AWESOME! I have 2, but some birds pecked a hole in it, and made it a nesting box. My other one is being held together with duct tape.
I love that!! What a beautiful thing you did. The craftsmanship is wonderful!! I love it!!
Very nice!
We have several near our garden, our Mason Bee Village.
This is the kind of handmade gift that actually gets used. A lot of store bought bee houses look nice but don’t hold up well or end up being ignored. The deeper tubes and the way everything is packed in here should make a real difference once it’s mounted in a dry spot.
beautiful work — and what a considerate gift!! Well done; these are going to be a hit!
WOW 😍 These are absolutely gorgeous and so well built!
I have read these are bad for bees because they make spreading diseases more likely, and it’s a one-stop shop for predators? Hate to even say it because these look so great. Would love to hear from experts!
Very nice! One suggestion would be to make the side walls longer than the bottom by an inch or so- not mitered. This allows rain water to shed off with no wicking through the miter and into the bottom of the box. This helps with keeping moisture out of bluebird and chickadee houses also.