Bee boxes

mary-op

I know I'm too late for this year but we'd like some sort of bee box in the garden. The bottom of the garden is all 'wild life' -natural pond, piles of wood for habitat, bird boxes etc. plus wild flowers ........what we'd like now is a bee box to fit in somewhere. I've googled and found quite a few but now sure which would be the best sort. We were thinking of one that would fix to a wall..........there are some tubes but it looks like that have to lie down or be stood up.....anyone had anything like this. Not sure which type to get.

icecreamdogpark

you just need a wooden box ie old bird`s nest box and cut bamboo sticks and slot them in,also i used jumbo straws these look very colour full and straw stuffed in a section for other insects,really quite cheap to make .I used a small wicker cd rack

mary-op

Thanks.........I'm all for re-using stuff where I can. Due to clear the garage out soon and might just find something in there.....:T

ixwood

There's 3 sorts of bees. 1. Honey. 2. Solitary. 3. Bumble.

Honey bee's need a proper (large and very expensive!) hive. Bumble Bees need a smaller space, but are very particular and generally don't take to the nest boxes you can buy for them.

That leaves solitary bees. They need hollow tubes to lay their eggs in and spend most of their lives searching out suitable spots. You can either drill lot of holes in a block of wood and fix it somewhere, or improvise something with lots of hollow plant shoots, or bamboo canes.

If you google "solitary bee house" or similar, you should get some good ideas. It may be a bit late this year for solitary bees though. I think they'll have mostly gone by now.

ixwood

You could also try making suitable habitats for Bumbles and hope you get lucky. If you look at the Bumble Bee Conservation site, they've got guides to a couple you can make. One using an upturned plant pot and one making a cavity under a paving slab.

Bunnygirl

If you have a sainsburys near you

http://www.sainsburys.co.uk/sol/shop/home_and_garden/garden_and_pet/feeders_baths_and_houses/115449140_sainsburys_solitary_bee_house.html?hnav=4294960375

http://www.sainsburys.co.uk/sol/shop/home_and_garden/garden_and_pet/feeders_baths_and_houses/116258812_butterfly_and_bee_box.html?hnav=4294960375

alfieroux

Sorry to but in but, on a bee theme;

A bee has been going in and out of my strawberry planter pot (you know the kind where you put the plants around the edges and they look like their spilling out. S/he has been very busy for a couple of days flying in and out of a tunnel made in one of the openings.

I assume that it has made a nest in there. A couple of bee novice questions though.
1. As it is next to the back door, can I move the planter or will this confuse the bee? I'd prefer it at the end of the garden rather than practically in my kitchen.
2. As I have toddlers, is it agood idea to encourage the bee to live in our garden? Especially as it is right next to our table/chairs, back door etc.
3. Will our bee bring all it's friends to live with it or is it a loner? how can I tell a bumble from a honey, from a solitary?
4. Is it likely to sting/harm/swarm or so on? Like I say with two small children and a very nervy grown-up I'm not sure of a plan.

Any help greatly appreciated and again I apologise for butting in on the bee box thread - except to say that bees obviously like strawberry planters with nowt but chives in!:rotfl:

Alfie

Mojisola

alfieroux - relax, it won't be a honey bee. The solitary bees are quite gentle and very rarely sting. See https://www.moraybeekeepers.co.uk/solitary_bees.htm

Bumble are generally bigger and rounder and do "bumble" around. They aren't a problem, either. Have a look at this - http://hercules.users.netlink.co.uk/Bee.html

ixwood

Bee's are lovely and you're lucky to have them choose your garden as a good home. You must be doing something right, as they like to set up home close to good forage.

Is there just one bee? As said, it's not likely to be honey bees (You'd know if it was! There'd be thousands of them). Is it quite big and furry and sounds like a mini helicopter, or small and sleek?

If you google images bumble bee, or use the links given, it'll be quite obvious if it's that or not.

All bee's are "friendly" (i.e. not aggressive) and completely non interested in people. Even honey bee's will only sting as a very last resort or if you're tampering with their home.

Solitary Bees and Bumbles only have very weak stings that you probably wouldn't even notice. They've got no stored honey to protect, so haven't evolved them.

Bumbles especially are lovely little creatures. I love watching them going about their business. You can get really close and observe them and they'll still just ignore you.

mary-op

Thanks for all the advice..............I know I'm too late for this year but thought be nice idea for next year...............I like the Sainsbury ones but we don't have a store for miles and miles..........I'll check out the conservation site.


alfieroux
- lucky you to have one choose a place like that in your garden:j

Joly_Roger

May I just butt in and say... Great thread, lots of helpful posts. My daughter loves nature and I think we'll head off to Sainsbury's tonight to get a solitary bee hive. We've already made some egg nests using bamboo canes tied together, this will be a little more sturdy.


Edit: to add: I have been stung before when I was lying still on the lawn. A bee stung me in my armpit when I was outstretched with my arms behind my head. Really hurt! I don't think he had a hive or nest on the grass so don't know why he did it. Maybe he didn't like the Calvin Klein deodorant or perhaps I was unlucky enough to encounter a bee with an Anti Social Bee Order.