Did you know that the United States Geological Survey reported that there are 4,000 species of bees native to the United States? The increase in native garden planting has led to more people creating and purchasing bee houses. However, store-bought “hotels” may not be as welcoming to bees as they are marketed.
The r/GardenWild community on Reddit is full of people dedicated to creating wildlife-friendly gardens. Many people have worked to restore their lawns in recent years, planting native flora and adding sanctuaries for local wildlife, including pollinators. One Redditor shared some helpful tips on how to spot an effective (or not-so-effective) bee house.
The article linked to the post comes from Colin Purrington, who has a “blog with nature photography, biology-related projects, and geek tips.” In this bee house post, he shares 16 tips on why bee habitat can be a house of horrors.
Many of the tips deal with the shape, size, and gap of the tubes that most bee nests include. Hollow tubes are the perfect habitat for carpenter or mason bees, but not all tubes are created equal. To be a suitable habitat, these tubes must be closed at the back, completely hollow, and removable.
Purrington wrote: “Because the nest material cannot be removed or cleaned, over time there will be an increase in the population of parasitic wasps, parasitic bees, parasitic flies, kleptoparasitic mites, fungi, bacteria and viruses.”
Unfortunately, some bees will continue to use these convenient habitats, which means your bee house may be making local bees sick. However, if you have removable tubes, you can replace them and clean the entire structure to give the bees the best chance to lay eggs and grow nice and strong.
If you are thinking about adding bee habitat to your garden, be careful with construction and packaging, both of which may indicate that bee homes are not optimal.
Other Redditors were interested in knowing more about these bee habitats. One commenter said: “Thanks for sharing!”
Someone else wrote: “I always find it confusing that insect hotels are promoted for the benefit of butterflies.”
The original poster added: “You want your bee hotel to be easy to clean, securely fastened, and more water permeable than bamboo or plastic.”
It’s inspiring to see how many people are trying to protect bees and make their gardens home to local wildlife.
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