How to make a bee hotel – a step-by-step expert guide to creating your own and encouraging more pollinators to your yard

The population of most varieties of bees is steadily declining, with many at risk of complete extinction. It is vital we do what we can to help their numbers thrive in our yards, or risk fewer flowers, inferior produce and a sadder gardenscape.

There are many ways you can attract bees to your garden but one of the best is to build a bee hotel. These thoughtful constructions provide shelter for bees year-round, giving them somewhere to shield from the elements and reproduce.

With spring around the corner, it's a great time to think about where to place a bee hotel in your yard so bees in your local area have somewhere to go post-winter. Here, experts break down how to build your own bee hotel step-by-step and what you'll need for the job.

What is a bee hotel?

As noted by Massimo Falsini, a chef and partner at Caruso's Michellin Star restaurant who launched a beekeeping program at Rosewoood Miramar Beach (the resort where Caruso's sits), 'A bee hotel is essentially a man-made structure designed to provide nesting sites for solitary bees, which are important pollinators but do not live in hives like honeybees.'

Similar to a bug hotel, these man-made structures can differ in appearance but all contain one very important element: a stable frame filled with an abundance of crawl space. Without deep nooks, or tunnels, into the hotel where bees can crawl, a bee hotel will lack in its ability to provide shelter from wind and rain.

If a hotel is well made it can house many generations of bees, becoming a long term home for some from the time they are eggs.

Massimo Falsini

Massimo Falsini is the chef/partner of Caruso’s at Rosewood Miramar Beach. He's deeply passionate about sustainability, and during the pandemic he launched a beekeeping program at Rosewood Miramar Beach that now supplies honey throughout the resort's restaurants and spa. He also launched a beekeeping experience at the resort to educate guests.

How to make a bee hotel

To make a bee hotel, you will need the following kit:

• Wooden planks - these are going to build the structure of your hotel: the shape where the tunnels will live. Untreated, natural, durable forms of wood like these birch plywood sheets from Amazon are a good choice, often used in making bird houses.
• Wooden blocks - these are optional but if you drill holes into them, they can sit inside your bee hotel to provide extra crawl space and stimulation. If you have leftover pieces of trees in your yard or could find some in a local forest, these would be best as they are completely natural.
• Bee tubes - these are the tunnels for your bees, and they come in many materials. The outdoor bee cardboard tubes from Amazon, this 100-pack-6-inch natural reed tubes from Amazon, and the bright creations mason bee nesting tube refills, also from Amazon are good choices. You can also use a drill to manually hollow out large sticks from your yard, though it may be tricky.
• A drill and screws - for assembling your bee hotel and optionally drilling extra holes for bees to crawl in. If you don't already have one, this 21V cordless drill set from Walmart is ideal as the drill comes with a range of attachments to make different sized holes for bees. No cord will get in the way while you work either as it's a cordless model.
• Scissors or a small saw - something small like the WORKPRO folding saw from Walmart is a good choice is it's easier to manoeuvre.

Step 1: Assemble together a frame

The first step in making a successful bee hotel is creating a sturdy structure out of wooden planks or sheets. There isn't really a wrong shape, but the most efficient shape for bee hotels is a box with a slanted roof, like a miniature house. The slant helps rain to fall off of your hotel structure instead of accumulate on top and potentially rot your wood. This better allows your bee hotel to endure in your nature-friendly plot, regardless of the season.

Tamara Hogan, plant and tree expert at Fast Growing Trees, says, 'I recommend building a bee hotel with a slanted roof as it helps to keep rain out of your hotel, as well as off of your hotel. A wet environment can promote a build up of humidity and fungus which could be deadly to bees and any eggs they have.'

To assemble the frame of your bee hotel, start with a rectangular piece of wood the desired height of your bee hotel. Then, lay out shorter cut planks or boards standing up on their slim edge onto this board: one of each side (the left and right) of your rectangle and one across the bottom (joining these two together). It should form a boxy 'U' shape. Drill and screw these in place or, alternatively, use a hammer and nails to join the pieces together. Do the best you can to leave no gaps between your joined wood so bees can't get stuck.

Then, add two final planks or sheets to the top of your rectangle (the part still now remaining open if you stand your current structure up). With the ends of each piece of wood joining together to create a pointed triangle at the top, and preferably a longer tail of wood sloping over the edge of your structure to control rain flow, drill and screw or nail these onto your frame. At this point you should have a spacious wooden structure that looks a bit like a vacant doll house.

Step 2: Tightly pack your frame with tunnels

Now you have your bee hotel's frame, the next step is to pack it with tubes and tunnels. The goal is to fill up the entire hotel with these, packing them so tightly that they don't need gluing or nailing in: they will stay in on their own even in the wind if they're packed tightly enough.

If you're using tubes, cut your tubes with scissors or a saw to match the width of the measurement from the back of your bee hotel to the edge where bees will enter the structure. Using uncut tubes in your bee hotel that poke out a lot can increase your hotel's chance of rain damage, as the tubes will be poking out beyond the point where your hotel's roof shelters.

If you're opting to embark on some permaculture gardening (aiming to recycle, regenerate and reuse resources), fill your bee hotel with wooden blocks or a mixture of blocks and tubes, and place any blocks inside as tightly as you can so nothing can move. It's recommended to first map out the layout of your bee hotel, placing your blocks inside to see where they best fit, and to then take them back out to drill your holes. This way, you'll know before you drill anything whether your wooden block measurements need adjusting.

Tammy Sons, CEO of TN Nursery, says, 'Use a drill to make holes three to ten millimeters wide for the bees to fit inside. It's best to do this using untreated wood blocks or in hollow stems or branches found around your yard to create the most natural, chemical-free environment.'

You'll know when everything in your bee hotel is correctly placed when you can turn it upside down and shake it vigorously but nothing will budge.

Tammy Sons

Tammy Sons is a horticulture plant expert, garden writer, and educator. Tammy is the CEO and founder of TN Nursery, an online plant nursery based in Altamont, Tennessee. She is also a prolific writer, sharing her knowledge through articles on various gardening topics, including plant care, sustainable landscaping, and the latest trends in horticulture.

Step 3: Secure your bee hotel outdoors

Finally, once you have built the hotel, you need to figure out where to place it. Putting it somewhere in your yard that's less exposed to wind and rain is a good idea, or putting it somewhere near flowers that attract bees, but be mindful about placing the hotel too near your home - you don't want bees coming inside.

'Bees will need something stationary to be able to feel safe,' says Tamara. 'This could be against a house, a tree, a fence, on a pole, etc. As long as you bee hotel is not free swinging like a bird feeder could be, you should be good to go.'

If you're planning to attach your bee hotel to a fence or tree, it may be worth screwing the hotel in place before packing in tunnel materials. This way, you'll be able to get the main structure of your hotel in exactly the right place more easily.

But if you would rather attach your bee hotel to a pole, we recommend using something like this bird feeder pole for outdoors from Amazon as it's simple to use and easy to insert into the ground.

Tamara Hogan

Tamara Hogan graduated from Utah State University with a degree in Ornamental Horticulture and an emphasis in Greenhouse Management. She worked within various horticulture fields before joining Fast Growing Trees.

FAQs

Are there any alternative ways to make a bee hotel?

Yes, there are definitely options when it comes to crafting bee hotels. Chef and bee lover, Massimo Falsini, created an alternative version himself, making the most out of natures natural nooks and crannies to build a bee hotel in the side of a tree.

'You can really use your initiative and recycle simple wood in your garage/home or use unexpected areas you come across in your yard,' says Massimo. 'Here at Miramar I built one about 200 yards from my beehives because the wild bees were mixing with mine and I wanted to make sure the genetics were preserved; I simply placed different bamboos in a hole in a tree and it worked perfectly.'

If you're looking to go the extra mile in making your yard into a bee haven, why not consider creating a bee watering station? It's a simple item to install in your yard that will support your local wildlife without creating an eyesore.