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Build a solitary bee house - PEP BB animal.sand.bee

BB animal care - sand badge
 
Gary Numan
pollinator
Posts: 261
Location: Central Virginia, Zone 7.
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posted 3 years ago
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>> And we'll be updating the requirements to specify no cardboard or plastic.

It appears that 'update' has stopped this thread.

Paper tubes good, cardboard tubes bad?  Looks like I can buy, for example, a Langstroth hive to satisfy some beekeeping PEP prerequisites here ... but I cannot purchase a pack of cardboard mason bee tubes as part of building a mason bee house?

Determining the difference between Bockings 4 and 14 is done by consensus. It's like trying to identify the difference between twins.
"There are other spots on the web to get my fix proving someone is an idiot but no other place for what I get here." -- former permie Brice Moss, 2012.

 
Mike Haasl
steward
Posts: 15391
Location: Northern WI (zone 4)
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posted 3 years ago
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Paul tends to not like cardboard due to the glues that are in it.  So that's why paper tubes are preferred to cardboard.  And natural materials like reeds and bamboo are even better.

Not every BB is as stringent on the levels of toxins that are allowed so you will find some that are more lax and the reasons for that are numerous.  

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Eileen Kirkland
Posts: 58
Location: Barcelona
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posted 3 years ago
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Edge case submission
The most specific solitary ID for Barcelona area I could find was Rhodanthidium sticticum, which don't seem picky. In Spain they even breed inside vacant snail shells. I took dry bamboo canes from a local park and cut them with seceteurs, minimum 6inch tube depth, then chose openings close to pencil diameter size. Bamboo has some drawbacks year over year, but I thought I'd give it a go on a small scale. I have read that large groupings have drawbacks, so I went small. This is a south-facing wall on a covered balcony. I hope my low-tech solution to hang with materials on hand is accepted.

Thanks,
Eileen

ETA: Secured with additional metal fasteners. My understanding based on research is that this stays up two seasons then comes down for maintenance/replacement of tubes to reduce parasites/predator pressure.
IMG_20210224_143434.jpg
Sourced bamboo
Sourced bamboo
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Finished
Finished
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Reinforced
Reinforced
Staff note (gir bot) :

Mike Haasl flagged this submission as an edge case BB.
BBV price: 0
Note: Specs say "no glue".  Could you upgrade from the tape to a more secure mounting system?

 
Opalyn Rose
gardener
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Location: Washington State
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posted 3 years ago
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Approved submission
Here is my submission for the Animal Care - Sand (for Straw Points) - Build a Solitary Bee House BB.

I purchased a Bee House Upgrade Kit with Solitary Beeskit from Crown Bees.  This means I needed to build the house (along with weather protection).  I started with a large (long) metal can and build a roof from cedar and oak. The kit included the reeds (meeting the cavity-nesting characteristics of mason bees which also came with the kit).

The house was mounted on the east side of a shed for morning sun to help warm the bees.  The wooden roof overhangs the reeds by nearly four inches to protect from rain.

To document the completion of the BB, I have provided the following:
  - post a pic of your solitary bee house under construction
  - post a pic of your finished solitary bee house in its final mounted location

describe what solitary bee species you're making a home for - Mason Bees
the box of bees is inside the house so the bees can warm up and hatch
there is also a tray of mud near the bee house for their use
1.jpg
Cedar and Oak for roof
Cedar and Oak for roof
2.jpg
Mounted on east end of shed for morning sun
Mounted on east end of shed for morning sun
3.jpg
closeup to show overhang and reeds
closeup to show overhang and reeds

Check out the plans to build your own charka-style spinning wheel from bicycle parts
Explore the intersection of permaculture, community, and the cycle of life at Herland Forest Natural Burial Cemetery and the Windward Education and Research Center

Staff note (gir bot) :

Mike Haasl approved this submission.

 
Malek Beitinjan
pioneer
Posts: 261
Location: SF Bay, California Zone 10b
136
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posted 3 years ago
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According to what I've read there are many species of mason bee native to California. Unfortunately I haven't been able to observe any, but if they are around they can take advantage of this house I made! Very simple design, I drilled a bunch of holes in a log. I put it under a tree, facing east to get the morning sun. There are holes of varying size to accommodate different bees.
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Complete shelter!
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Some holes drilled
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Log!
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Facing east, with some poison oak to keep it company.

“There are no words to express the abyss between isolation and having one ally. It may be conceded to the mathematician that four is twice two. But two is not twice one; two is two thousand times one.”
― G. K. Chesterton

Staff note (gir bot) :

Mike Haasl flagged this submission as an edge case BB.
BBV price: 0
Note: Can you explain how the holes can't get wet when it rains?

Staff note (gir bot) :

Mike Haasl approved this submission.

 
Malek Beitinjan
pioneer
Posts: 261
Location: SF Bay, California Zone 10b
136
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posted 3 years ago
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The tree it's under has a lot of foliage that should block rain. The holes are facing down on a slight slope, so any water that runs by will flow away from them. Here's a zoomed out photo to show more of the tree.
IMG_20210509_103023.jpg
[Thumbnail for IMG_20210509_103023.jpg]

“There are no words to express the abyss between isolation and having one ally. It may be conceded to the mathematician that four is twice two. But two is not twice one; two is two thousand times one.”
― G. K. Chesterton

 
Rebekah Harmon
pollinator
Posts: 658
Location: https://youtube.com/@healthygreenbrave?si=0CFOwxe0mLCIBflU
301
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posted 3 years ago
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Approved submission
I received leaf-cutter bees (at least a block of their larva, anyway). They came in a block of drilled wood. They need to be off the ground, be sheltered from the wind, and face the sun in the morning to get up and warm enough to fly! So I built a little shelf for them under the eaves of my barn.
My kids and I learned about them to make this habitat. I will also fashion a reed section of this house and supply clay mud in a close vicinity. Next I'm excited to plant 3-season nectar flowers for them!!
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Being weird is easy. Making it mainstream is hard. Be brave! https://www.youtube.com/@healthygreenbrave

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K Wagner
Posts: 72
27
posted 3 years ago
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i made a house for mason bees with all different sized holes. i placed this on top of my wood shed which is next to my garden.
PXL_20210915_162957070.jpg
random scrapwood
random scrapwood
PXL_20210915_163637501.jpg
in progress
in progress
PXL_20210915_164452120.jpg
done
done
PXL_20210915_164517371.jpg
close up of a bucket lid i found
close up of a bucket lid i found
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Brandon Gladefield
Posts: 114
Location: VIC, Australia
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posted 2 years ago
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I did not know we had so many different species of solitary bees in Australia. So I did a bit of research and bam! Over 1700 different species on this magic continent of ours!

What's common in my area is the Resin Bee and thus I built a bee house that would fit it's desired specifications all according to this link:

https://www.aussiebee.com.au/abol-current.html#abol026

It specifies 3mm - 10mm holes and made of any Australian hard wood. We have a mish-mash pile sitting in our driveway from a recent renovation so that'll be our starting resources.

Overall a very fun build and bring on those pollinators!
20220212_141507.jpg
Pieces cut and other materials
Pieces cut and other materials
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Rough look of the house
Rough look of the house
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Assembled
Assembled
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Drilled
Drilled
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Placed
Placed

The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord. - Job 1:21

Staff note (gir bot) :

L. Johnson approved this submission.
Note: I hereby certify this badge bit complete.

 
adam wrate
Posts: 52
Location: Mohave Desert
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posted 2 years ago
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I received a mason bee house as a gift and decided to take it apart for this BB. It was bamboo with alot of glue, so I had to remove it. My backing is made out of recycled milk carton tied with a leather strap. Set myself up for a brand twofer here. 2 wood screws were used. I didn't use any of the attractant I've seen on the market. I did read my Crown Bees Guide. I hope to foster some mason, leafcutter, and any other native bees which is why I used various sizes. This faces east for the morning sun and overlooks my Mesqute Guild. Time will tell.
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Reusing.jpg
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Geoff Lawton's Greening the Desert Project

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