Congratulations on your new bee hotel!
Placement considerations
- Sun – Try to face the bee hotel so that the tunnel openings get sun, especially in the morning. South or southeast is often best but it might be different in your particular yard.
- Height – Roughly 3-4 feet above the ground is typically best
- Placement – Bee hotels often do best against a solid surface like the side of a shed or building. If mounting on a post, try to have some wind protection behind the bee house, like a line of trees or shrubs.
- Food sources – Solitary bees only travel about 100 yards from their nest for food, so make sure your bee house is close to flower resources.
How to mount and maintain your bee hotel
There is a keyhole in the back of the house for easy mounting on a screw! Simply drill a screw into a wall or post and hang the hotel on the screw. Adjust the depth of the screw to make the house hang more or less snugly.
The house itself is made of cedar, which will hold up for years to the elements. I have also applied a coat of finishing oil to make it more durable and water resistant. The oil I used primarily consists of Tung oil, and is a zero VOC finish which is harmless to bees and wildlife.
The house does not need any additional maintenance, and over time may age to a natural gray color while still remaining durable against the elements. If you want to prevent the graying of the wood, you can apply a fresh coat of oil as necessary. You can use pure tung oil, or the product I used – Outdoor Defense Oil by Real Milk Paint. It is easy to paint on and then rub off excess after 40 minutes with a rag.
Again, this is not necessary! I have already applied a generous coating to the house and the cedar is naturally resistant to rot and warping.
To prevent unnecessary weathering, you may want to bring the hotel itself (not just the nesting blocks) inside each winter. The keyhole makes it easy to lift the house off the screw at any time if you wish to do so.
How to care for pollinators in your bee hotel
Among the most common pollinators that will move into your hotel are various species of mason bees and leafcutter bees. However you may also see other types of bees (resin bees, polyester bees, wool carder bees and more) as well as beneficial solitary wasps nesting in the tunnels as well. You can just set up the house and allow pollinators to do their own thing. However, some simple steps can be taken to provide additional care for some of the kinds of bees that move in.
Mason bees
- Early spring – Put your bee house out as early as the first flowers start to bloom in spring. Mason bees begin looking for nesting sites early in the season. If you are worried about attracting mason bees, there are attractants available online that you can spray on the tunnels. I’ve had success without these as well.
- Spring – Watch for activity and holes being filled with mud. The second largest holes are designed to be the perfect size for mason bees, although I have seen some also use the size below, and there may be larger species that use even the largest holes.
- Late spring/early summer – At this time there is often a lull in activity as the earlier spring bees have finished nesting, and summer species have yet to become active. This is a good opportunity to check for tunnels filled with mud by mason bees. If many holes have been filled in a nesting block, you can gently remove the whole block and place it in a breathable bag (paper, mesh, breathable fabric) somewhere protected from predators (such as birds or parasitic wasps). Wherever you put it make sure it still experiences natural temperatures such as a garage or shed. You can also place it in a covered place outdoors (even back in the bee hotel!). You can replace the block with an empty one in preparation for summer if you wish, just let me know and I can always send more.
- Summer – Continue to store nesting blocks for now, the cocoons are not ready to be disturbed.
- Fall – The mason bee cocoons you have set aside can now be harvested. You can open up the layers of the nesting block and gently scrape out the cocoons. They can then be washed in water with a bit of bleach to kill any parasites or disease. There are many instructional videos online on how to do this! I can always be a resource if you need help. You can then store the cocoons in the fridge in a container with some ventilation holes and a damp sponge/cloth for moisture. This mimics winter conditions for the cocoons while keeping them safe! Now is a good opportunity to give your nesting block a good cleaning for next season. Use a bit of bleach to kill any harmful diseases.
- Winter – Continue storing mason bee cocoons in the fridge (remembering to maintain moisture with a sponge or cloth)
- Early spring again! – When flowers begin to bloom, nesting blocks should be put out once again in your bee hotel. You can place your mason bee cocoons in a small box with a small hole (roughly 1/2inch) for the bees to crawl out as they hatch. There is room on top of the nesting blocks to allow for this. (I plan on designing a hatching box that will be available for purchase in the future!)
Leafcutter bees
- Summer – Leafcutter season begins in the summer! Watch for activity and holes being plugged up with scraps of leaves and petals. The second smallest holes are designed to be ideal for leafcutter bees, but they may choose other sizes as well!
- Fall – Nesting blocks containing leafcutter cocoons can now be removed from the house and placed in a breathable bag in a garage, shed, or covered area protected from the rain. They need to remain in the block until early spring as they are very delicate until they have developed further.
- Winter – Continue storing nesting blocks
- Early spring – You can now open up nesting blocks containing leafcutter cocoons and gently scrape the leafy cocoons from the tunnels. They tend to form long chains so gently break them into individual cocoons.
- Late spring – As summer approaches, you can begin incubating your leafcutter cocoons so they will be ready to hatch in summer. Place them in a paper bag in a warm, protected place such as a garage, shed, or boiler room. When you start noticing some hatching you can place them in a box in the top of your bee hotel just like you did with mason bee cocoons. They will hatch and hopefully continue to use the bee hotel!
Other solitary bees and pollinators
- Other types of solitary bees and beneficial solitary wasps may use your bee house. You may notice tunnels sealed with other substances like resin from resin bees, a cellophane-like material from polyester bees, a fuzzy material from wool carder bees, and shoots of grass from solitary wasps.
- These blocks can be removed at the end of the season and placed in a breathable bag and stored in a protected area or in the bee hotel.
- The entire block can then be replaced back in the bee hotel in spring to hatch.