For about 5 years we have put bee houses on our south east facing wall and they are always full. The bees were there though before the nesting tubes but I never realised they were looking for somewhere to live. I've been reading about parasites etc this year, as some emerged with visible mite infestation. So through the winter I will be spending the dark evenings making grease proof paper linings for the tubes and I hope husband will be making an attractive box to house them. He wasn't very happy with the tubes in tins this year!
Sorry as I am completely bad with anything internet and was not aware of these problems
The name of the site is The Pollinator Garden
I was trying to encourage our contributors to build bee hotels at home to bring up the population as the numbers of bumble bees apparently has gone down by 80% so we need the solitary bees Masons to fill the gap www.foxleas.com
Everyone is just trying to be Happy.....So lets help Them.
I'm currently having a look for a bee hotel to purchase. As much as I would love to make my own, I just really don't have the time! Can anyone suggest a particular site to visit/purchase from? Perhaps where they put the money back into bee conservation?
Just spent a pleasant few minutes sitting in the sun with a cup of coffee watching what I think are Wool Carder Bees (Athidium manicatum) muscling their way inside Antirrhinum flowers.
I’ve got Stachys lanata byzantina nearby, so possibly they can collect their nesting materials from that.
On these glorious sunny days I get lots of funny little solitary bees of all shapes and sizes. Must put more effort into trying to figure out what some of them are!!
NewBoy2
Posts: 1,813
Posts
Any comments friends ?
I can't follow the link but I looked at the site last time I saw your post.
Ive got 3 different solitary bee houses and a bumble bee nest house and none have been used. Had them for up to 2 years facing between south and east.
Saw a couple of large wasps (common or German?) in the back of one a few months back though...
For about 5 years we have put bee houses on our south east facing wall and they are always full. The bees were there though before the nesting tubes but I never realised they were looking for somewhere to live. I've been reading about parasites etc this year, as some emerged with visible mite infestation. So through the winter I will be spending the dark evenings making grease proof paper linings for the tubes and I hope husband will be making an attractive box to house them. He wasn't very happy with the tubes in tins this year!
Sorry as I am completely bad with anything internet and was not aware of these problems
The name of the site is The Pollinator Garden
I was trying to encourage our contributors to build bee hotels at home to bring up the population as the numbers of bumble bees apparently has gone down by 80% so we need the solitary bees Masons to fill the gap www.foxleas.com
Thanks!
The bees will love it
Try the RSPB or scrounge an old wooden box and stick in some sawn up bamboo
Let us know how you get on
Buds.........You can ask Victoria Sponge as above as she appears to be sucessful
Not me Newboy- Gillian53 has the bees
Just spent a pleasant few minutes sitting in the sun with a cup of coffee watching what I think are Wool Carder Bees (Athidium manicatum) muscling their way inside Antirrhinum flowers.
I’ve got Stachys lanata byzantina nearby, so possibly they can collect their nesting materials from that.
On these glorious sunny days I get lots of funny little solitary bees of all shapes and sizes. Must put more effort into trying to figure out what some of them are!!