How to make a bamboo bee hotel- tips and tricks included!
by Emma Cutting with loads of amazing info from the Bee Babette and Steve Prendergast
I found making bee hotels much harder and more time-consuming than I had originally thought. It all seemed so easy in some of the ‘How-tos’! And, as it turned out, there were so many tips and tricks I worked out along the way from amazing people like Steve and Kit and also through my own experience.
So here is the guide I would have loved to have before starting this project (me being someone who has very little knowledge around tools but is keen to learn!).
Good luck!
Basically, with these bee hotels, you will be cutting bamboo into pieces and putting these pieces either into a bunch tied up with string or wire or in a ‘holder’…..but to get your native bees in and settled, you need to know a few particulars…
You will need…
Eye and ear protection
PVC pipe and PVC cap that fits on the pipe (go to plumbing section in your hardware store)
OR
bamboo culm (about 100 mm in diameter and 150 mm in length)
OR
protein powder container (not tin as this can overheat)
Bamboo
Preferable to have it freshly cut or green as it is much easier to cut but it can also be purchased from a nursery (one that cares about the environment and knows where its bamboo comes from is best!)
You will need bamboo of different widths ranging from 3mm-10mm and at least 100-150mm in length. This will mean that you need a lot more bamboo than you think!
Power tool or hand tool…
Drop saw is quickest and easiest for bamboo. But you need to have experience (or have someone experienced helping you set up). Also can use another type of power tool, a fine tooth jigsaw. If you have a local men’s shed you could alway ask them to help! Easiest to saw the PVC pipe by hand. Best choice is a hack saw (pictured), followed by a tenon saw then a handsaw with approximately 12-18 teeth per inch
How to put it together…
1- Draw a line around the pipe where you want to cut (pipe needs to be between 100m-150mm long, ideally 150mm)
2- Ensure the circle is ‘straight’ (you could use cardboard as a ‘ruler’)
3- Cut the pipe with a hack saw, tenon saw or handsaw
4- Seal PVC cap to pipe with glue (a glue that will bond plastic to plastic and cope outdoors)- you will have one end closed now
5- Cut bamboo to lengths of 100mm-200mm (ideal is 150mm)
Tips on cutting bamboo…
Use a wood work vice
Cut the bamboo as close to the end of the vice as you can
Leave one end of the bamboo piece sealed with a ‘joint’
You may also need to hold the extended bamboo with one hand.
Cut slowly and use all of the saw blade (there are some amazing YouTube videos on using saws that are highly recommended if you are inexperienced).
6- Sand the end of the bamboo that will face out to remove all rough edges (so we don’t hurt the bees!).
7- Stick bamboo into the PVC pipe- put as many as possible in to be secure but it doesn’t matter if the pieces stick out a little, wobble a little or are a little wonky- bees like this as they seem to find their own nest easier.
8- If you are putting bunches of bamboo pieces together without a holder make sure they are secure- use a rubber band to start (keeps them all together while you fiddle about!) then string (again to keep them from falling out) then wire or rope.
Where to put your new native bee hotel…
This bee hotel should sit at least 1m off the ground in a relatively sheltered position and, if it is used by native bees, will be used by cavity and plant stem nesters. You can place this in your front garden to give it some extra protection from passers by.
For more information…
You can find more information and tips on creating native bee hotels in Kit Prendergast’s book “Creating a Haven for Native Bees”. Contact Kit on kitprendergast21@gmail.com for a copy!