DIY Native Bee House

Give native bees a helping hand. These insects pollinate many of our edible and ornamental plants.

Attract them to your landscape and keep them healthy by growing bee friendly plants that provide food and shelter. Attract even more with commercial or homemade bee houses.

The easiest method uses a bundle of hollow sticks such as bamboo, reeds, or sumac. I cut the sumac stems into short segments, removed 3 to 5” of pith and left one end solid. Bind together or place in a container for added protection.

Or create a solitary bee house from a block of untreated wood. Drill holes into, but not completely through a block of untreated wood.  The holes should be 3 to 5 inches deep and about 5/16th of an inch in diameter for Mason bees.

Mount your bee house on the southeast side of a post, fence or building.

A bit more information:  There are 4,000 species of native bees that help pollinate many of the fruits, nuts and vegetables we eat. Some are specialists, only pollinating certain plants while others are generalists, visiting a variety of plants.

Tags

sustainable-gardening bees

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