Bumblebees mason bees mining bees these are just one small part of a big beautiful family.
Bee nesting box uk.
Bee populations have been dwindling in recent years and building homes is just one way of encouraging them to stick around.
Beehives or cavities above ground.
The easiest least toxic method for controlling ground bees is to simply keep potential nesting sites well watered.
Native tit is being forced out of bird boxes by bees according to chris packham.
Most honeybees in the uk live in hives managed by beekeepers.
Take a look at how to identify some of the most common types of bees in the uk.
Abdomen with amber bands or completely black.
Making a nest box in five steps.
Only worker honeybees make delicious honey using nectar gathered from flowers.
1 choose a nesting material.
Follow the steps below to build your very own.
For bees the most important part is the nesting material while the shape is up to our personal taste and available space.
You might be surprised to learn there are more than 250 species of bee in the uk.
Smaller bees such as harebell bees chelostoma sp and masked or yellow faced bees hylaeus spp are also attracted to nest boxes a range of solitary wasps may also use the nest box these will act as a great natural pest control in your garden collecting flies small caterpillars and aphids to provision their nests.
We can make a nest box for bees out of wood the most suitable is the wood of deciduous trees or hollow plant stalks such as bamboo or cane.
When to see them.
Each hive can contain over 20 000 bees.
Ground bees nest in dry soil avoiding damp areas when choosing nesting sites.
The female spends most of her life searching for suitable nesting sites.
Or we can use.
As soon as you notice ground bee activity begin soaking the area with a full inch of water each week.
Last year we had blue tits nesting in it and five chicks fledged successfully.
They don t see red light well so if you need to see what you re doing put some red plastic film acetate over a torch or use a red l e d.
They might buzz a bit but they won t fly in the dark so it s safest to do it then.
Bees are an important sign of a healthy ecology.
Some species will nest in holes in the ground while others will look for old beetle holes or hollow stems in which to lay their eggs.
This year although the blue tits were initially prospecting the box we have had no interest.
An untreated wooden plank at least 10 cm wide.
Rear legs bare and shiny.
Follow these steps to build your own nesting box to attract bees to your garden.
Birds and bees are battling it out for control of nesting boxes reveals springwatch host chris packham.
To move a nest safely it is best to do it in the dark when all of the bees will be in the nest and docile.
Initially the blue tit had a problem with evicting a resident bee.
