Bee Hotel

Bee Hotel for Solitary Bees.

Description

• Wooden bee hotel
• Small 20 cm x 4.5cm x 7cm with 47 holes and Medium 25 cm x 4.5cm x 7cm with 38 holes
• Single unit design with colourful pitched roof
• A safe nesting & breeding structure for solitary bees
• A safe place for young solitary bees to grow to maturity
• Holes of various sizes mimic those found in the wild
• Provides access for different varieties of solitary bees
• Quick & easy to hang
• Does not attract honey bee colonies
• A great way to support the threatened bee population
• Attracts docile, gentle pollinators to your garden

Did you know? There are close to 1000 solitary bee species in South Africa. Unlike honey bees, they don’t rely on a Queen for breeding; they live independently and need their own private space to breed. Most solitary bee species are stingless, and they tend to be very passive and gentle.

How it works:

• A female solitary bee selects a hole of the right size & depth to be her breeding nest
• From her chosen nest, the female will fly back & forth in your garden to collect pollen & nectar
• She will mix the pollen & nectar into a paste & place it at the back of the hole
• She will lay her eggs close to this mixture, to give her young the nourishment they need
• After “filling the pantry” & laying her eggs, she will seal up the hole with various natural materials, then fly off
• The young bees will grow up safely in the nest, feeding on the pollen & nectar mix until they’re old enough to break through the sealed door & fly off
• Congratulations you’ve helped a new generation of bees to flourish into adulthood