A home for bees

What are Solitary Bees?

We have over 220 native wild bees in the UK and most are solitary bees. They’re not social bees like honey bees and bumblebees so they don’t nest in hives, make honey (or store nectar for themselves) or have queens, drones, workers etc. The female solitary bees collect pollen, nectar and lay eggs in cells to raise the next generation before their short but busy lives come to an end.

What is a bee hotel?

There are different types of solitary bees including mining bees who dig little holes in the ground in lawns and exposed soil (you may have seen little earth volcanos, that’s them!) but there are also masonry bees and leafcutter bees who nest in existing cavities in walls or dead trees. These are the ones that utilise bee hotels, which aim to replicate these naturally occurring nest sites.

Should I have one?

You might already be providing forage habitat for pollinators in your garden in the form of flowering plants, shrubs and trees, but these are a great way to provide nesting habitat for bees too… food and accommodation in one location - a Bee&Bee! We have several around our headquarters, and it’s brilliant to be able to observe them and know we are helping to increase local populations.

Where can I get one?

You can buy them from many high-street shops for very little money although the quality and suitability can vary greatly. There are some very swanky bee residencies available too – including ones with Perspex viewing windows and/or removable sections for easy maintenance. If you’re comfortable using hand/power tools, you could try making your own.

How do I make one?

There are a few different designs you can try, we made one of the most basic ones in the video above, a bee block. You can also use bundles of bamboo or other hollow stemmed dried plant material. You can find out more about all kinds of different designs and how to look after them in this excellent extensive guide. 

Where should I put one?

Most places recommend that you place them a meter above the ground or higher (it makes sense to have them at or near head height so you don’t have to bend down to observe or photograph them) and in a sunny but sheltered position. You may need to experiment though, as our most popular two are facing South West but are only 50cm off the ground!

If you’ve got the bug for bees, have a look at our Pollinator Promise – you can make a promise to do something that will actively save bees in Britain, and join the hundreds of other Brits who’ve made the promise.

And if you get some photos of bees and are fairly confident of what you’ve identified, you can submit your sightings to Friends of the Earth’s Great British Bee Count or to iRecord. The information provided is checked by experts and used to support research and decision making at local and national levels. It’s a great way to make a lasting contribution to science and conservation.

Of course, one of the biggest threats to bee habitats is climate change – and one of the biggest things you can do to cut the emissions that cause climate change is to switch to green energy. So if you haven’t already, join the thousands of others fighting climate change with their energy bills at Ecotricity.