Around a third of the food we eat depends on pollinators, yet many of the UK’s wild bees are losing the habitats they need to survive. The good news? You can help from your own garden, balcony, or allotment with a simple bee hotel.
Most UK bee species are solitary. They simply need safe places to nest. A few well-drilled holes in a block of untreated wood can provide exactly that.
- Mix up the room sizes: Use holes that have a width between 2.3mm and 10mm to attract a range of solitary bee species.
- Think depth, not quantity: make the nesting tunnels deep enough: for 10mm holes, 20cm depth. This might seem a lot, but a few deep holes beats dozens of shallow ones.
- Give every room a back wall: Drill into solid wood or use bamboo canes with a natural closed end. Bees prefer a private suite, not a through-road.
- Keep it smooth: Sand rough edges and remove splinters to protect delicate wings.
- Location matters: Place your bee hotel in a sunny, sheltered spot facing south or southeast, away from heavy rain.
A bee hotel is one of the smallest projects you can build, and one of the biggest boosts you can give local biodiversity.
Sources:
- BBC Gardeners’ World bee hotel guide
- Sussex Wildlife Trust bee hotel guide
- Border Free Bees nesting specifications
- Bosch DIY Bee Hotel
