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Many species of bees are solitary – the do not live in hives but instead construct their own nest. The main reason for this is because in these species every female is fertile and this would not make for comfortable communal living in a hive.
Bee hotels are necessary for a number of different reasons. To begin with bee populations have been on a decline in recent years. Part of the problem is that their natural habitats have been cleared to make way for intensive agriculture. Pesticides have also been instrumental in their decline.
It is often difficult to encourage solitary bees in urban areas because there are so few suitable nesting places for them. So, many people chose to give nature a helping hand by building their own bee hotel, sometimes known as a bug or insect hotel.
We may not know these solitary bees as well as their hive dwelling counterparts but they make up more than 90 percent of the bee population.There are many species which can take advantage of human made hotels. They do not care whether their hotel is fastidiously organized or rather more haphazardly put together.
The above, for example, was specifically made for Red Mason bees. They are a staggering fifty times more effective at pollination than the better known honey bees. This hotel has 300 individual apartments to encourage this little known superhero of pollination. No need to worry about stings either, Red Mason are extremely docile and very rarely sting.
As you can see from the photograph they can come in many shapes and sizes but there are a number of things which remain constant. The materials used are mostly natural and include wood, tiles or simply old stone walls. Holes are drilled in to these materials which are large and long enough to encourage the solitary bees as well other insects to enter and oviposit their single egg or to gestate.
As you can see from the photograph they can come in many shapes and sizes but there are a number of things which remain constant. The materials used are mostly natural and include wood, tiles or simply old stone walls. Holes are drilled in to these materials which are large and long enough to encourage the solitary bees as well other insects to enter and oviposit their single egg or to gestate.
If this has encouraged you to find out how to make your own bee hotel then Friends of the Earth have come up with a really neat plan which is ideal for a small suburban garden. It comes with step by step instructions and can be made cheaply and easily.
