Bug Hotel: How to Attract Tenants

[Stringmaker]

"If you build it they will come..."

As the advice given initially has proved, just leave it alone and the bugs will find it. Maybe it helps that our little 2 year old apple tree is right outside the bug hotel?

If we see any spidery incursions we'll try and get a snap or two but they are going to have to work hard to dig through the front door.

 

[Stringmaker]

It looks like Mrs Bee hasn't finished yet:

She may even take over all the apartments!

 

[dwardo]

Great stuff. Have a few guests staying my self. Can just about see one at work around 5 oclock.

Some are mud based and some are leaf. Would love to know whats going on in the different types and why?

 

[Harvestman]

Solitary bees are incredibly specific about the size of hole that they will use, to a tenth of millimetre, so a bundle like that with a nice variety of holes is ideal.

If you have masonry bits it is worth drilling holes in a block of stone and leaving it upright in a sunny position too, especially if it is limestone or lime-rich sandstone.

 

[daveO]

If you have masonry bits it is worth drilling holes in a block of stone and leaving it upright in a sunny position too, especially if it is limestone or lime-rich sandstone.

What kind of size holes would it be worth drilling for that?

 

[Harvestman]

I started to type 'bee sized ones' and then realised that wasn't so helpful. On the other hand there isn't a quick answer. Most solitary bees are smaller than honeybees, so generally small holes are best, but a variety of sizes is the only real advice I can give. Possibly look at the BWARS site for more info on solitary bees.

I'm remembering an Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust reserve near Abingdon that I used to visit. They had a sandstone cliff, very crumbly, and it was like a swiss cheese with bee holes. Apparently the diversity of solitary bees there was pretty special.

Found the link

 

[Stringmaker]

What impresses me is the incredibly thorough job she makes of cleaning out each hole and then plugging it up.

You try it without arms, let alone opposable thumbs.

Bees.......respect.

 

[Stringmaker]

And still the bees toil:

Two to go and our condo is full

 

[daveO]

Cool. I Made a couple of bug boxes over the weekend. Can't wait to get them out now.

 

[daveO]

You don't happen to know roughly what size holes you drilled in that log do you?

 

[Stringmaker]

You don't happen to know roughly what size holes you drilled in that log do you?

Sorry mate, I missed your question!

The holes are around 8-9 mm, certainly no bigger than 10.

 

[Harvestman]

Reviving this thread because of something I learned from a woman from Bumblebee Conservation the other day.

It seems that 70% of all solitary bees are ground living, so these wall-mounted bug hotels are completely useless for most species (but perfectly fine for others). Her advice for attracting solitary bees was to take a large plant pot, fill it with a mix of 50% soil and 50% sand to create a really sandy soil, and then leave it in a sunny spot. You can just stand the pot upright, or lie it on its side. Both work, so long as you keep it free from plants, as a patch of sandy bare earth. Apparently this is solitary bee nirvana. No need to bore holes in it, as the bees will excavate their own to suit.

If you have enough, a nice sandy mound of soil is even better, as the bees can choose how much sun they want by using different sides of the heap, but it is a bit of a pain to keep it weed-free.

 

[Stringmaker]

It seems that our buzzy friends have been hatching and spreading their wings this week: