DIY Bug & Bee Hotel

Fun & Pollinator-Friendly

Bug & Bee Hotel

Leaf-cutter and mason bees are solitary bee species that do not live in hives. Creating a bug and bee hotel and placing it in your garden can attract these helpful pollinators and provide them a place to nest over the winter. By reusing a tin can and some hollow bamboo dowels, you can create an easy hanging bee hotel to bring more pollinators to your yard.

Bee Hotel

Grab the kids and make your own bug and bee hotel by following these step-by-step instructions.

Step One

Collect your supplies (supplies listed below). And decide on a paint color or stickers to use to decorate your bee house.

Step Two

If you haven't used the contents of your 14oz tin can, remove the label and empty it and wash the insides of the can and let it dry. Using a can opener, remove the bottom of the can so that both sides of the can are open.

Step Three

Using spray or acrylic paint, give your tin can a coat of paint in whatever color you like. You can paint designs to create a colorful and unique look. Let your paint completely dry.

Step Four

Using your bamboo dowels, begin stacking them into the can until they fill up the entire center of the can. You want them as tightly packed as possible to prevent them from shifting.

Step Five

To finish your bee hotel, use a two foot piece of a twine to thread it through the top of your bee hotel and create a loop with a tie at the top. Now you can hang your bee hotel off a tree branch or off a hook. Eventually, you will see some interest from solitary bees. You will know that bees have made a nest in your bee hotel when you see a layer of mud covering the bamboo openings. They will reemerge when the season begins.