How to make a bee hotel

You can give bees a safe place to build nests and lay eggs by making a simple bee hotel and hanging it in your garden.

One of the most simple bee hotels you can make is out of a log. You will need:

• A small log, a branch or large lump of wood
• A saw
• A drill with 6mm and 8mm drill bits
• A short length of wire

How to make it:

1. Take a piece of log and carefully saw it to about 15cm (6in) in length.
2. Stand the log on its end and drill multiple holes into the end grain to the full depth of the drill bit. Remember to pull the bit back several times during the process to clear the chippings and stop the bit binding. Use both sizes of drill bit (6mm and 8mm) as this will give the bees a number of alternate nest tubes inside the log.
3. Attach your bee hotel to a fence, tree, wall or any other fixed object

Where do I put my bee hotel?

1. Mount your hotel so that the openings point east because bees love early morning sun.
2. Put it against a landscape feature like a fence, shed or wall.
3. The bee hotel needs to be fastened so it can’t move or rotate so don’t hang it on a piece of string.
4. The flight path into the hotel should be unobstructed, allowing bees easy access.