> BUMBLE BEE HABITAT
A quick guide to building your own bumble bee habitat. You will need:
Clay pot at least 20 centimetres in diameter across the top One clay tile or piece of slate 30-to-50-centimetre section of old garden hose
Nesting material (e.g. duff material, pine cones, straw and/or shredded newspaper)
Enough chicken wire or hardware cloth to cover the top of the clay pot.
1) Bend the chicken wire to fit the top of the pot, pulling excess wire over the outside edges.
2) Drill or punch drainage holes in the hose about five-to-seven centimetres apart. The hose will provide drainage, which is necessary.
3) Dig a hole in the ground about the same size as the top of the pot and about three centimetres deep. Bury the hose section, drainage holes facing down, with half of it underground and half above the ground. The hose will provide a tunnel for access to the pot.
4) Place the chicken wire piece in the ground and pull the hose section through it. Place some nesting material in the hole, on top of the wire.
5) Cover the wire with the pot, top down, so that it is partially submerged. Give the pot a twist and firm soil around the outside edge of the pot, leaving two-thirds of the pot exposed above the soil.
6) Place a tile of slate over the pot to prevent water from seeping into the nest through the drainage hole in the pot. I will make you a bet: that you are the first person on your block to build a bumblebee habitat in your own backyard. Neighbours and friends will think that you are nuts. And in a generation you will be hailed as a visionary.