Building a Bee Hotel: Nesting Tubes for Native Bees
The short answer
A bee hotel gives solitary native bees, such as mason and leafcutter bees, a place to nest. Utah State and NC State Extension suggest untreated wood or paper tubes, holes of several sizes and a roof against rain. Mount it facing morning sun near flowers, and replace or clean tubes each year.
Most native bees live alone, not in hives. Many of them nest in hollow stems or old beetle holes in wood. A bee hotel copies those spaces and brings gentle pollinators close to your garden.
What is a bee hotel?
A bee hotel is a block of wood, a bundle of tubes or a box of stems with open holes. Female bees lay eggs inside, add pollen for food and seal each cell.
Mason bees use mud to seal their tubes. Leafcutter bees line theirs with neat circles of leaf. Mason and leafcutter bees pollinate fruit trees and garden crops.
Solitary bees are calm. They have no hive to defend.
The Utah State University Extension guide to making and managing wild bee hotels explains how different bees choose different hole sizes and materials.
Our post on the roles bees play outdoors explains why pollinators matter in a mixed garden.
How do you build one?
Pick the right material. Use plain, unpainted wood or paper tubes. Stained or coated wood can harm bees.
Drill clean holes. Use sharp bits and sand the edges so holes are smooth. Rough splinters tear bee wings.
Vary hole sizes. Holes from about 1/8 to 3/8 inch wide attract a range of species.
Go deep enough. Aim for holes about three to six inches deep, since females lay more eggs in deeper tubes.
Close the back. Bees need a sealed back wall. Do not drill all the way through.
Add a roof. An overhang of a few inches blocks rain from the tubes.
| Hole width | Likely bees | Tube depth |
|---|---|---|
| 1/8 inch | Small resin and masked bees | About 3 inches |
| 1/4 inch | Leafcutter bees | About 4 to 5 inches |
| 5/16 inch | Mason bees | About 6 inches |
| 3/8 inch | Larger mason bees | About 6 inches |
Sources: Utah State University Extension, NC State Extension, Nebraska Extension.
Where should you put it?
The NC State Extension page on bee hotel design and placement recommends facing the hotel east or southeast. Morning sun warms bees and gets them flying early.
Mount it firmly three to six feet up on a post, fence or wall. Bees tend to skip hotels that swing in wind.
Place it within a few hundred feet of flowers, since bees need pollen nearby for their young.
Add a patch of bare, moist soil nearby. Mason bees need mud to seal their nests.
How do you choose flowers nearby?
Plant a mix of flowers that bloom from spring through fall. Early bloomers matter most for mason bees, which fly in spring.
Fruit trees, willows, redbuds and native wildflowers make good spring food. Asters, goldenrod and coneflowers feed bees later.
Our post on companion plants lists flowers that draw pollinators and helpful insects.
How to: step by step
- Use untreated wood or paper tubes.
- Drill clean, smooth holes of varied sizes.
- Add a roof to shed rain.
- Mount it facing morning sun.
- Plant flowers nearby.
- Replace tubes or clean the hotel each year.
How do you maintain it?
Bee hotels need care to stay useful. Old tubes collect mites, mold, and sometimes parasites.
The Nebraska Extension guide to creating a solitary bee hotel recommends removable tubes or trays that open for cleaning.
Use paper liners or reeds that you can replace each year. In fall, move filled tubes to a sheltered spot such as an unheated shed. Return them outside in spring before bees emerge.
Swap out drilled wood blocks every two to three years. Many gardeners use two blocks and rotate them.
Our post on the helpful bugs for a garden explains how pollinators and predators help plants.
Troubleshooting
No bees move in. Check the direction and height. Add flowers and a mud source nearby.
Tubes full of mold. Rain is getting in. Add a deeper roof or tilt the hotel down slightly.
Wasps using the tubes. Some solitary wasps nest there too. They are mostly harmless garden predators.
Birds pecking the tubes. Add a wire mesh screen a few inches in front.
Few tubes sealed. If holes seem too shallow, drill deeper or switch to longer tubes.
A small hotel attracts busy native pollinators to every corner of your garden. Kind Seed Co shares more garden ideas in outdoor growing.
Sources
- Making and managing wild bee hotels, Utah State University Extension, Making and managing wild bee hotels
- Bee hotel design and placement, NC State Extension, Bee hotel design and placement
- Creating a solitary bee hotel (G2256), Nebraska Extension, Creating a solitary bee hotel (G2256)
FAQ
Do bee hotels attract honeybees?
No. Honeybees live in hives. Hotels attract solitary native bees.
What size holes work well?
A mix from about 1/8 to 3/8 inch draws the most species.
Are solitary bees calm?
Yes, since they have no hive to defend.
When should I put up a bee hotel?
Set it out by early spring, before mason bees start flying.
Can I use bamboo tubes?
Yes, if the ends are cut cleanly and the backs are closed.
