Now is the time to get your Bee hotels up! They are so easy to make or purchase… these great ones are just £3 at Morrisons!
I have a mixture of bought and homemade ones. Simply get untreated logs or wood and drill a variety of different sized holes to attract different species of solitary bee. You can also collect hollow stems and pack these in. A great activity to do with kids!
There are over 250 species of solitary bee in the UK and they are vital pollinators. They do not sting, so safe to watch them in and out of the holes as they lay their eggs, cover it in nectar and pollen, seal the chamber and repeat until they reach the front of the tube. The eggs will hatch, eat the food, pupate and overwinter, emerging the following Spring! My hotels were full of red mason bees in today’s sunshine.
Every garden should have at least one… mount it quite low on a warm, sunny wall so you can watch them! Now is the perfect time!
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