DIY Bee-N-Bee
Ready to help save the bees?
Did you know that — aside from our beloved honey bees, which live socially in colonies — there are about 350 solitary bee species in Belgium? These wild bees play an essential role in the pollination of our crops and daily food, which is why it is crucial we help protect them too.
Fallen trees and dead wood, hollowed out by beetles and fungi, have served as ideal nesting sites for solitary bees for ages. With these natural habitats disappearing, and wild bee populations declining, it’s time for us to step up.
Hosting a Bee-N-Bee hotel helps wild bees get through the winter, providing them with shelter from elements and a safe place to lay their eggs. The perfect guests to have at your home, school, park or company as wild bees don’t sting!
What you’ll need
• a plank of wood, ± 15 cm wide
• nails or screws
• a saw
• a hammer
• a drill
• drill bits (⌀ 4, 6 and 10mm)
• hollow stems: bamboo canes cutted to a length of ± 10 cm
• 7-8 dried wood blocks, with a length of ± 10 cm
• natural string
• plywood (... x ... cm)
• wire mesh (... x ... cm)
Step 1
Cut your plank into 4 equal pieces following these measurements:
- length: 30 cm (max. 60 cm)
- width: 15 cm (min. 10 cm, max. 20 cm)
- plank thickness: ± 3cm
Tip: if you’d like to use a length larger than 30 cm, we advise you to add a diamond subdivision to your square for better support.
Step 2
Fix the boards together into a rectangle frame with screws or nails.
Optional: closing the back with a thin piece of plywood provides better warmth and shelter for your guests.
Step 3
Drill holes (⌀ 4, 6, 10mm) into the dried wood blocks. Drill as deep as possible without drilling through the entire block. Using various sizes in diameters makes sure your bee hotel can accommodate various bee species and sizes.
Tip: make sure the drill holes are nice and smooth to ensure they don’t damage the bees’ wings.
Gather your stems into tight bundles (± 5 cm in diameter) and secure with string.
Tip: saw the bamboo off just after a knot, so that the end is closed. if you have several knots in the middle, drill them open.
Step 4
Fill your Bee-N-Bee, alternating between wood blocks and stem bundles so everything is packed nice and snug.
Optional: secure a wire mesh over the front to keep out unwanted guests. Birds love the pollen collected by our bee friends.
Step 5
Secure your Bee-N-Bee positioned as a diamond, in a dry and rain-free spot, facing south, at a height of 50-200 cm.
Provide various flower types with diffefrent blooming seasons within a 100m radius of your hotel to ensure a nectar and pollen rich environment for your guests. Nesting materials such as sand and clay are also great to have nearby as they help bees close their brood cells.
Tip: request your free bee-friendly flower seed mix down this page!
Looking for something easier?
Skip the frame. Drill holes into the dried wood blocks. Take an empty tin (with closed bottom) and fill it with hollow stems until everything is nice and snug. Place the blocks and the tin in a dry and rain-free spot, facing south.
Other insects can also enjoy!
The drilled wood blocks are particularly interesting for wild bees. If you’d like to attract a wider range of insects like lady birds, earwigs and woodlice, you can try adding the following elements to your hotel: pine cones, straw, wood wool, bark and brick.
