The Bee Kind Challenge Step 4

Creating pollinator homes and a simple bee waterer.

With the loss of so much land to human development (Britain has lost 97% of its wild flower meadows since the 1930’s) finding a home can be a significant problem for wild bees.  Help can be as simple as a wild patch of long grass or as fancy as a bee hotel, both encouraging pollinators by providing a habitat in which they can nest and shelter.

We often think of bees living in hives or colonies, as honeybees do, but there are over 240 species of wild bee in the UK that are solitary and make individual nests. Most species nest in small tunnels or holes in the ground, or use a cavity in an old wall. Others use the hollow stems of dead plants, or tunnels bored into wood by beetles. 

Fancy bee hotels are becoming popular in garden centres but you can make a simple bee home by drilling some holes in old logs, or tying short lengths of bamboo cane together to make tunnels. Place your bee home in a sunny spot, preferably facing south and at least a meter off the ground. 

A bee hotel isn’t going to attract a swarm of honeybees looking for a new hive. The kind of wild bee that are likely to take up residence in your bee house are mason bees and leafcutter bees. Both of these are non aggressive and very safe around pets and children because they don't have a sting. They may not live in hives and make honey but they are wonderful pollinators, especially of fruit trees and well worth making a little space for in your garden. 

An ashy miner bee.

Providing a clean source of water is another way to help. Bees might drink nectar but like every other species on the planet they need water to survive, including to make honey and keep the hive cool if they are honey bees. 

In urban areas where bees are already dealing with the challenges of habitat loss, finding a good source of water is especially important. 

To make a safe and simple bee waterer you only need a shallow dish, some rocks or pebbles, and some clean water. The bees need somewhere safe to land and shallow water so that they don’t drown. Some people recommend marbles but we have found wet marbles to be very slippery for bees so we prefer pebbles.

Place your bee waterer in the shade near some flowers and remember to keep it filled with water, bees are creatures of habit and once they find it they will come back.

The most important step for attracting bees to your garden is to provide plenty of nectar in Spring when they will be looking for a site to nest. We were delighted this year when our flowering crab-apple tree and Spring clematis helped to encourage a buff tailed bumblebee Queen to nest in our garden wall.

There are many small steps we can take to help bee populations. Providing flowers, water and a home is a perfect start. 

Did you know that acts of kindness have a boomerang effect and tend to impact you as well as the recipient of your kindness? Research shows that when we help others we also help ourselves. According to the mental health.org kindness matters guide an act of kindness can boost feelings of confidence, being in control, happiness and optimism. So being kind to bees may do more than you think!