Making a Simple Bee House
A nest of bees is a natural way to pollinate garden plants. Bees are very useful insects to have in the garden and providing them with a simple homemade bee house can be beneficial for you and your garden. If you are committed to an organic style of gardening then a homemade bee house is the perfect tool to make your gardening more eco friendly.
You can of course buy the same thing at a home gardening store but it costs more. Depending on the type of bee you want to attract there are different types of houses you can create. You will probably find the materials around your house quite readily.
Orchard Mason Bees
If you want to make a bee house for orchard mason bees then the process is very simple. You will need untreated softwood such as cedar, fir or redwood. Take a piece that is maybe about four by four inches large and drill holes in the wood.
You want to drill holes that are about 3 and half inches deep and maybe a half-inch wide. The holes shouldn't go all the way through the wood. If you feel birds might be a threat to your bee house then cover the wood with chicken wire. Now fix your bee house to your house in southerly direction. You can also fix it to trees or fence posts.
Bumblebee Houses
A bee house for bumblebee is completely different but similarly easy to make. All you need is a large coffee can with a plastic snap on lid. Take a piece of corrugated cardboard and cut it so that it fits snugly around the sides of the coffee can. As long as you cut it so that it fits nicely in the can there is no need to glue it to the can.
You will also need cardboard pieces to fit the top and bottom of the bee house. Cut a hole that's about three quarters of an inch wide in the piece of cardboard at the mouth of the can. Cut a piece of window screen or chicken mesh to cover the mouth and cut a hole in the wire to correspond with the hole in the cardboard.
Before placing the top on you want to drill holes about an eight of an inch wide in the back of the can and on the side of the can that will be the bottom (the can will be mounted so that it lies horizontally). This gives the bee house good ventilation.
You also need to fill the bee house with some type of fibrous material until it is a third of half full. Wool, an old bird's nest, animal hair or fiberglass insulation are good to use. Avoid using cotton wool or surgical wool as it is too fine and the bees will become trapped in it. Now mount your bee house in a place sheltered from rain and you're good to go.
