24 MAKE HOW TO A BEE HOTEL
Everyone knows that bees are great for gardens and the environment, helping to pollinate plants, flowers, fruit and veg.
You can welcome these fuzzy, buzzy helpers into your garden and give them a safe refuge with this DIY bee hotel. Follow this simple step-by-step guide to ensure your bees have the best home in town.
■ Saw off the end of the pallet using a hand saw. If you can’t get your hands on a pallet, you can still create a similar frame using several narrow planks of wood.
■ Lever off one of the planks from the discarded pallet and nail it to the back of the cut section. This creates an open fronted box with two long sides.
■ Next, lightly sand the wood to soften any ragged edges. Be sure to dust it off completely using a clean, dry brush.
■ Paint it in the colour of your choice using two coats of an outdoor paint suitable for use on timber or a wood stain (we used Cuprinol Five Year Ducksback stain, from £13.99 for 5ltr). Leave it to dry completely between coats. If you plan to hang the bee hotel on a fence, consider colour-matching the paint to the shade on your fence so that it blends in with its surroundings.
■ When the second coat of paint has dried, pack each slot with a selection of natural materials, foraged from your garden or a nearby wood. Make sure anything you add to the box hasn’t been chemically treated as it can harm the bees.
■ Using the wire clippers, cut a section of chicken wire big enough to cover the open front and attach it to the box using a hammer and some small metal pins to keep everything in place. Trim off any messy bits or overhanging edges.
■ Finally, fix a bracket to the back of the box and hang it from a fence or wall. Choose a south or south-east facing area, near your bee-friendly plants, at about waist height, so that bees aren’t buffeted by the wind. Make sure that you hang it far enough away from a doorway or any area that you may sit near or walk by.
IDEAL HOME TIP Bees love blue or violet flowers, so plant some near their hotel, if possible