REVAMP REPAIR recycle
Build a ‘bee ‘n’ b’ for solitary bees and insects visiting your garden with a hive-shaped hotel crafted from scrap wood and foraged finds
Provide a nesting spot and shelter for solitary bees with this bee hotel. Unlike honeybees and bumblebees, these bee species spend much of their life alone and seek out places for nesting chambers in wood or plant stems, which is why we’ve included them in our bee hotel design. Hang the hotel about a metre off the ground in a sunny location and at an angle so it’s sheltered from heavy rain. A south-east orientation gives the best balance of sunlight and rain exposure for your pollinating garden guests.
SHOPPING LIST
Pallet or other reclaimed wood (we used 7.5 x 2cm wide lengths) Hammer Sandpaper or electric sander
Measuring tape Pencil Mitre saw or mitre box with a 30° angle capability (or hand saw) Goggles Gloves Dust mask Duct tape Non-toxic PVA glue Clamps Linseed oil and clean cloth Hook Electric drill Selection of drill-bits (2mm-6mm) Wood offcuts
Bamboo canes Small sticks Wire mesh (optional) Panel pins 1 Remove any nails
from the wood with a hammer then sand smooth. Use a measuring tape and pencil to mark out 12cm lengths – you’ll need six for each hexagon. Cut each length with a saw.
2 To cut the
30° angle, use a mitre saw (pictured) and place one of the 12cm lengths into it. If using a mitre box, the length should fit in the box sideways. Trim the corner of the length off at a 30° angle and repeat on the other side to form a trapezium. Repeat on all the other lengths. Use goggles, gloves and a dust mask when sawing the wood.
3 Lay six lengths beside each other with the wider faces pointing up. Attach a length of duct tape along the pieces, leaving excess tape at one end. Flip the wood over and apply wood glue to the angled sides. Roll the wood up and use the excess tape to hold the hexagon together as it dries. Repeat this step for each hexagon. When the glue is dry, unpeel the tape and sand off any excess glue. Hammer a hook or two into the back of the hotel so you can hang it.
4 Arrange the hexagons
into the formation you want and glue them together. Use clamps or duct tape to hold it all in place. To protect the wood, use a natural oil or wax such as linseed oil. Apply a dab of linseed oil to a cloth and rub into the wood until it’s covered. Leave to dry for the recommended time.
5 The WWF recommends a variety of nesting materials to be used in the hotel. We used wooden blocks and offcuts, bamboo canes, sticks and twigs. These can be foraged, found from garden waste or offcuts from previous projects. Measure the depth of each hexagon then use this to cut the various materials to size using a saw with fine teeth, or a little longer if you’d like them to project from the hexagon.
6 Ensure there are no sharp ends created by the saw cuts, as these may injure bees. Lightly sand the ends of the bamboo canes or sticks to avoid this. Pack the bamboo sticks into a hexagon with a tiny dab of glue to ensure they stay in place. Pack as many in as possible so they can’t move around.
7 You’ll need to drill a number of holes in your wooden blocks and small logs. Solitary bees need holes that are anything between 2mm and 6mm in diameter, and a mix of sizes is better. Make holes in the front face of the wooden block, as deep as possible. The RSPB recommends these holes are drilled at a slightly upward angle. Glue the block of wood into a hexagon and pack any surrounding gaps with bamboo or sticks.
8 Pack as much
as you can into each hexagon to give the contents as much rigidity as possible. If the contents of a hexagon remains quite loose and able to rattle around or fall out, attach metal mesh to the face of the hexagon, ensuring the gaps are big enough for bees to get through. Snip this with wire cutters and secure in place with panel pins.