Although you can run to the store and find a bee house these days, it's also even easier to make one yourself for your native bee friends especially if you've created a pollinator paradise for them in your yard!
This is an easy diy bee house that you can do with your kiddos this summer and keep in mind Adult Supervision is required.
To make a Bee House you'll need:
Empty plastic water bottle or similar (make sure it isn't curved in the middle)
Twine
Duct Tape
Nesting Tubes- we used bamboo but there are also other options such as cardboard that you can buy.
Exacto Razor to cut plastic
Scissors to cut tape
Twigs to use as filler
Cut off the top area of the plastic bottle.
2. Wrap duct tape around the cut area and fold over the cut area to avoid cutting yourself while making the bee house.
3. Make a small hole in the bottom of the bottle near one side (not in the middle) and push twine through the hole and through the bottle until it comes out of the cut end. Tie knot at top for hanging it later.
4. Cut bamboo into pieces slightly shorter than the bottle opening and fill bottle with nesting tubes. The open side of the tubes should face the opening of the bottle.
5. Fill loose spaces with twigs (We gathered ours in about 5 minutes time) and then test to make sure it all stays in place when you give it a shake and hold it upside down.
6. Hang it on a tree limb or a sturdy area that faces the East to catch the sun rise. Bees are cold blooded so they need the heat of the sun to get them warmed up and moving around to begin their busy day. Make sure to place it at least 3 feet above the ground to avoid ants from climbing in and tilt it at a slight downward angle so that the rain won't get into it.
To check out Fi's pollinator paradise project just click here to go to that earlier post!