Solitary Bee Homes

Split Board style (used for cleaning tubes  at the end of the season and the collection of Cocoon’s)

This style home is the prefered style for mason bees. While the esch bee makes use of a single tube to lay her eggs they do enjoy to have teh tubs in a cluster. This may be just the result of the sent of the tubes that are in use identifing a potenital nesting site. The split board  home is made from boards that are placed paralel to esch other. Allong the points that the boards are in contact there are holes drilled that are such that half is in one the board on one side and half in the board on the opther side.

Depending on the dia of the holes used both for Mason and Leaf Cutter bees

This log style is made from cross sections of tree limbs or small logs that have holes drilles into their face to create nesting tubes for solitay bees. The holes can bee all the same Diameter or can be a mix of diamiters to atract both the leaf cutter bees and the mason bees.

Used for both Mason bees and Leafcutter bees.

The type of bee suported will be based on the diameter of the tubes used in the contruction of the home. The holder for the tubes is up to your imignation. Old cans to custom wooden boxs can be used to hold the tubes . 

The key is to make the house so that it can provide some protection to the tunbs it holds. The tubes can be cardboard- that will last longer- or simple straws that will tyicaly last only a season.

Cane Style Home is the preferred home of Leaf cutter Bees

Various lengths of plant stems and cuttings that have a soft center core to the stem can be used. Cuttings from Raspberry canes, Forsythia canes, Rose bush canes and many others make good stock for solitary bee homes. 

This material is readily available during the normal cleanup of your garden. In some cases you will find evidence of a solitary bee already making their home in the material you are collecting. 

In such cases by gathering these stems you are saving the future generation of solitary bees as compared to disposing of them with the stem into the trash.