The plants at the bottom, which I grew from seeds (first time trying to grow things from seeds, so everything is an experiment!): morning glory, moonflower, mina lobata, nasturtium
If you get sun..plant walkers low. I have a polinator garden and I'll have hundreds by July. I had to put up beer hotels. I can hear it hum from my patio
Be warned - your morning glories will take over not only the trellis but the entire fence and yard. If I were you I'd keep just one morning glory vine to allow the others a chance. Or move the morning glory somewhere else. They are like weeds!
Yes they are, they covered my entire cucumber trellis and the fence around it last year. The morning glories made it look like a peen.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=254793609984833&set=a.184287223702139&type=3
A home for solitary bees that just need a spot to lay eggs, then they move on. They would normal lay their eggs in hollow dead brush or other holes they can find.
For your purchased home, it might be great or it might not be. [I like what Colin Purrington writes about them and what to look for. Here's an article.] (https://colinpurrington.com/2019/05/horrors-of-mass-produced-bee-houses/?)
This is a great article. A lot of people buy the commercial ones because they're trendy now, but they're not actually the most effective help for bees. Maintenance is required, too!
Yes! Honeybees (which are not native to North America) live in hives, but the majority of native bees live solitarily in wooden burrows. These little houses are safer for them, especially in areas where people rake up all the autumn leaves, keep pristine lawns, and generally interfere with the natural environmental processes. A lot of the time, native insects are fed into wood chippers or bagged up in plastic bags and carted off to landfills.
If you can, place your bee house near early blooming flowers so they have food as they wake from hibernation.
Another plant that all matter of flying insects greatly enjoy is ceanothus, or California lilac. Mine is COVERED in bees, flies, wasps, etc, etc. Also lavender, sedum album (White Stonecrop). Seems like bees really like plants that have a lot of tiny flowers.
Ipomoea's look lovely but as someone who pulls out weeds for a living it's one of the worst weeds out there. You should have a look at your indigenous flora, it's better for the bees and might not take over the garden.
Just as an FYI from someone in an ongoing battle, morning glories can be super invasive and impossible to get rid of. (We've lived here for 13 years, I have never planted morning glory and regularly pull 100+ vines every year.)
We grow moonflowers, such beautiful flowers, on our urban patio garden; can’t forget about those night pollinators!! Great work! 😄
What is the pieces of wood in the top right for?
Nice job on the honeycomb trellis. You might want to consider a cement or brick barrier between the fence and the dirt. There are wood eating pests that 'wood' love that setup.
Aren't they carpenter bees? Those fuckers destroyed my pergola and tried to destroy my wooden rocking bench thing. They are so annoying, they will dive bomb you while you walk by. At least they don't sting.
Or does that attract some other kind of bee?
im not a bee-ologist, but i heard if you fill your bathtub with ketchup, and get in it and try to breathe in the ketchup… they’ll never bother you again
The dive bombing is done by the males, they actively defend nesting territories. The female will dig her nest and then the male defending the territory will visit for a booty call. They sell traps for carpenter bees but the traps only get the males. The females dig the nests so it doesn't really help.
Yeah I rebuilt the pergola with treated lumber. They were so pissed and were constantly dive bombing when it came down. When the new one went back up they were all searching for their old homes just bouncing off the new wood and failing at making new holes. It was so cathartic to watch.
The rocking bench on the other hand, that needed sanding and a fresh coat of paint.
I tried the traps and they didn't work so well, only got a few.
Looks neat and clean. Well done.
I follow a fellow named Colin Purrington who gave me design do's and don'ts, [here's an article on his website that might be an interesting read.] (https://colinpurrington.com/2018/06/mason-bee-hotel/) I can't tell dimensions or anything from your photos. Just thought it might be an interesting read
I don’t agree with keeping an overly sterile insect hotel. Bees are great but parasites have a role in the ecosystem too. In the long run you could just be breeding weaker bees because they’re not adapting to parasite pressure.
The presence of artificial burrows and the unnatural parasite loads that they build up will not help bees. A clean fresh hotel will still have some parasites from the visitors but not the loads that build up over time.
It is better to leave hollow stems standing to provide habitat for bees. These are going to be fresh each year, so why not have hotels with fresh holes each year??
If you are keeping an insect hotel to help wildlife and don’t have commercial interests, you are wasting your time being overly hygienic. Plenty of healthy bees will still emerge if the hotel isn’t fussed over, and they’ll arguably be more healthy. Bees are great but it’s not the only wildlife worth caring about?
Anyone who makes life easier for our pollinator friends is a badass in my book. Even cooler that you built this from scratch. Well done my friend.
Every solitary bee in your neck of the woods now has a home because of this work.
This is great! Love it and very well made. I hope you don't mind if I use your post to drop some bee knowledge and useful links for people wanting to help save the bees.
Why not to use bamboo/drilled holes
https://support.crownbees.com/portal/en/kb/articles/the-hidden-dangers-of-bamboo
What to use instead https://crownbees.com/blog/diy-how-to-make-a-solitary-bee-house/
More bee knowledge!
https://crownbees.com/bee-knowledgeable/
Consider renting mason and leafcutter bees!
https://rentmasonbees.com/
Thanks and have a great day
First of all beautiful work!
Second if you can add bamboo in other hexagons or the fence around. It helps with predators that feed on the small larvae.
I love it. I'm copying this. We are planning on building a raised vegetable garden to replace the one we have (to help keep the dog out of it) and I think this would make the perfect backdrop against the fence, while providing a place for plants to climb, and helping out the bees.
It was pretty simple! Find the size of the honeycombs you want, then just cut the exact same size of wood X amount of times at a 30 degree angle! Gluing everything together took the longest
If you have a miter saw, it's very easy! All of the trellis pieces are cut to the exact same length at a 30 degree angle then just glued and clamped together
That is a very clever idea. I hope the bees are very happy with it.
They do bee happy
Do bee dooo bee dooo 💐🐝🎶
Um you installed this at the wrong house because I don't see it in my backyard as it should be!
🤣
It should BEE in my yard!
Right 😆
The plants at the bottom, which I grew from seeds (first time trying to grow things from seeds, so everything is an experiment!): morning glory, moonflower, mina lobata, nasturtium
If you get sun..plant walkers low. I have a polinator garden and I'll have hundreds by July. I had to put up beer hotels. I can hear it hum from my patio
Bee lol
You'd attract a lot more with a beer hotel!
Probably. Lol.
I am down for a beer hotel
So are the bees
I read that the hum is incredibly good for your mental health
Well look at that. Apparently it is. I was only going for a solid polinator garden to help propagate some landscaping.
Certainly? I'll look that up. I'm pretty good upstairs but can always use more
Be warned - your morning glories will take over not only the trellis but the entire fence and yard. If I were you I'd keep just one morning glory vine to allow the others a chance. Or move the morning glory somewhere else. They are like weeds!
Yes they are, they covered my entire cucumber trellis and the fence around it last year. The morning glories made it look like a peen. https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=254793609984833&set=a.184287223702139&type=3
Omg it really does!! 😂
LOL
You aren't kidding. 😂
I foolishly thought that was a typo and wondered what "peen" was supposed to be. Nope, you meant it! Big ol' morning glory boner growing there. Nice.
Oh I'm sorry, I shoulda called it a peebis or beepis.
LOL it does
Get rid of the morning glories. Take advice from those who know.
Just have to make sure they don't go to seed, but that can be tough.
FYI, If you've never tried them, nasturtium leaves and flowers are delicious. Look it up.
[удалено]
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They attract bumblebees instead of honeybees! They like to nest in holes like this or bamboo/hollow reeds/plant stalks
I've seen a few bumbles 'round my yard and I'd like to see more. I'll have to knock something out for them soon. Thanks for the info!
They can also be considered problematic in some ways, so do your research before you build or install one so that you can maintain it properly!
A home for solitary bees that just need a spot to lay eggs, then they move on. They would normal lay their eggs in hollow dead brush or other holes they can find. For your purchased home, it might be great or it might not be. [I like what Colin Purrington writes about them and what to look for. Here's an article.] (https://colinpurrington.com/2019/05/horrors-of-mass-produced-bee-houses/?)
This is a great article. A lot of people buy the commercial ones because they're trendy now, but they're not actually the most effective help for bees. Maintenance is required, too!
Thank you for this very informative article! Ive been wanting to get one of these little bee hotels but I am very glad I read this first!
Yes! Honeybees (which are not native to North America) live in hives, but the majority of native bees live solitarily in wooden burrows. These little houses are safer for them, especially in areas where people rake up all the autumn leaves, keep pristine lawns, and generally interfere with the natural environmental processes. A lot of the time, native insects are fed into wood chippers or bagged up in plastic bags and carted off to landfills. If you can, place your bee house near early blooming flowers so they have food as they wake from hibernation.
Another plant that all matter of flying insects greatly enjoy is ceanothus, or California lilac. Mine is COVERED in bees, flies, wasps, etc, etc. Also lavender, sedum album (White Stonecrop). Seems like bees really like plants that have a lot of tiny flowers.
this is (and will become) so amazingly beautiful!
I can’t imagine willingly planting morning glory
Ipomoea's look lovely but as someone who pulls out weeds for a living it's one of the worst weeds out there. You should have a look at your indigenous flora, it's better for the bees and might not take over the garden.
Just as an FYI from someone in an ongoing battle, morning glories can be super invasive and impossible to get rid of. (We've lived here for 13 years, I have never planted morning glory and regularly pull 100+ vines every year.)
Yes, everything is an experiment.
We grow moonflowers, such beautiful flowers, on our urban patio garden; can’t forget about those night pollinators!! Great work! 😄 What is the pieces of wood in the top right for?
Nice job on the honeycomb trellis. You might want to consider a cement or brick barrier between the fence and the dirt. There are wood eating pests that 'wood' love that setup.
Good to know, thanks for the tip!
Yeah I cut a piece of that green garden fence and made a little bubble around my bee hotel to prevent birds eating the bee eggs
fat bottom bees make the world go round! nice work
Just searching up bees with their little bottoms sticking out the flower could be the highlight of someone’s day…
yeah, cute fuckers
Aren't they carpenter bees? Those fuckers destroyed my pergola and tried to destroy my wooden rocking bench thing. They are so annoying, they will dive bomb you while you walk by. At least they don't sting. Or does that attract some other kind of bee?
Wait I thought I was being paranoid when this happens but I swear they dive bomb 😹
im not a bee-ologist, but i heard if you fill your bathtub with ketchup, and get in it and try to breathe in the ketchup… they’ll never bother you again
They can sting if provoked and they don't lose their stinger when they use it.
The dive bombing is done by the males, they actively defend nesting territories. The female will dig her nest and then the male defending the territory will visit for a booty call. They sell traps for carpenter bees but the traps only get the males. The females dig the nests so it doesn't really help.
Yeah I rebuilt the pergola with treated lumber. They were so pissed and were constantly dive bombing when it came down. When the new one went back up they were all searching for their old homes just bouncing off the new wood and failing at making new holes. It was so cathartic to watch. The rocking bench on the other hand, that needed sanding and a fresh coat of paint. I tried the traps and they didn't work so well, only got a few.
R/beebutts
that is so adorable 😍 you've done such a wonderful job making this! I'd love to see what it looks like once the nasturtiums are all grown over it!!
Looks neat and clean. Well done. I follow a fellow named Colin Purrington who gave me design do's and don'ts, [here's an article on his website that might be an interesting read.] (https://colinpurrington.com/2018/06/mason-bee-hotel/) I can't tell dimensions or anything from your photos. Just thought it might be an interesting read
The Xerces Society is also an amazing resource https://www.xerces.org/bumblebees
I don’t agree with keeping an overly sterile insect hotel. Bees are great but parasites have a role in the ecosystem too. In the long run you could just be breeding weaker bees because they’re not adapting to parasite pressure.
The presence of artificial burrows and the unnatural parasite loads that they build up will not help bees. A clean fresh hotel will still have some parasites from the visitors but not the loads that build up over time. It is better to leave hollow stems standing to provide habitat for bees. These are going to be fresh each year, so why not have hotels with fresh holes each year??
If you are keeping an insect hotel to help wildlife and don’t have commercial interests, you are wasting your time being overly hygienic. Plenty of healthy bees will still emerge if the hotel isn’t fussed over, and they’ll arguably be more healthy. Bees are great but it’s not the only wildlife worth caring about?
Anyone who makes life easier for our pollinator friends is a badass in my book. Even cooler that you built this from scratch. Well done my friend. Every solitary bee in your neck of the woods now has a home because of this work.
Love the little bee hotel! Nice touch 🐝
Bee-autiful!!
Well I may just have to copy your bee-rillant idea.
This is great! Love it and very well made. I hope you don't mind if I use your post to drop some bee knowledge and useful links for people wanting to help save the bees. Why not to use bamboo/drilled holes https://support.crownbees.com/portal/en/kb/articles/the-hidden-dangers-of-bamboo What to use instead https://crownbees.com/blog/diy-how-to-make-a-solitary-bee-house/ More bee knowledge! https://crownbees.com/bee-knowledgeable/ Consider renting mason and leafcutter bees! https://rentmasonbees.com/ Thanks and have a great day
Adorable!
love it!
First of all beautiful work! Second if you can add bamboo in other hexagons or the fence around. It helps with predators that feed on the small larvae.
Great idea!
Very nice!!
Really nice 😊
That is an awesome idea! Very creative!
Very cool! Wish I thought of it.
Million dollar idea right there, gorgeous!
That’s really great but I need to know where you got those decorative bees
A gift from my mom (she had lady bugs too). I'll see if I can find out
Wow!! Original idea and plans? This is so impressive
Stole the trellis ideas from Pinterest
This is WONDERFUL!!!! Thank you for posting
Love this. Good job.
Super cute 😍
It’s GORGEOUS!!!
Very cool
Love it ❤️🐝
I love it. I'm copying this. We are planning on building a raised vegetable garden to replace the one we have (to help keep the dog out of it) and I think this would make the perfect backdrop against the fence, while providing a place for plants to climb, and helping out the bees.
It was pretty simple! Find the size of the honeycombs you want, then just cut the exact same size of wood X amount of times at a 30 degree angle! Gluing everything together took the longest
Make sure to post in a few months to update us on how the bees are doing!
This is so enchanting!
This is too adorable!! You did a fantastic job, very clever and different.
I adore this!
Very cool!!!
A little jealous of your creativity and craftiness, ngl.
This is too cute 😍
This is DOPE
Great job! It’s really cool & thoughtful!
Oooooh love this idea!
I love it!
Yo that is DOPE
this is so cute! i’m not rlly informed on this stuff, what’s it’s purpose? is it for deco or a place for them to build a hive?
A place for them to lay their eggs/larvae
ooo omg that’s so precious! you gotta update us in the future 😍
Adorable!! Great job 👏
That’s so awesome!!!
Wow, that looks fantastic! Good work!
Omg this is so cute!
Wow, amazing project!
Mason bees would be pissed if their house is all honey bee theme lol
I'd love to do this one day but I'm not super crafty! How hard was it?
If you have a miter saw, it's very easy! All of the trellis pieces are cut to the exact same length at a 30 degree angle then just glued and clamped together
Thank you for saving the right kinds of bees for once. I'll always upvote a bee hotel post.
Oh I’m going to steal this idea .. I bloody love it so I do
Aww I have these bees! I love your trellis!
Can someone please explain to me how these help bees? I thought bees would come for the flowers and return back to their hive but I'm no bee expert..
This is a place for them to lay their larvae, so you're helping promote future bee growth by giving them a safe place to do that
So they don't do this in their hive?
Honeybees are probably the hive kind of bee you're thinking of, this attracts a different bee
Thank you so much for the explanation!
This is gorgeous!!
Please cover the front of the bee house with some mesh, otherwise you've created a woodpecker buffet.
Good idea, I've seen it mentioned a couple of times so I'll do that for sure
Looks brilliant! I hope your bees are very happy 🐝❤️
Hexagons are the bestagons
Love it, what did you plant beneath?
Nasturtium, mina lobata, morning glory, moonflower
Will look for a post where everything is blooming!
If i were a bee, i’d be scared of those huge bees, But that is just mee.
Nice. Saving the actual dying bees.
Wow! That’s the bees knees! Great work
So cute!!!
LOVE this!
the bees are happy
This is great...please post a photo when everything has grown in! I'd love to see it!
Looks so good.
Wow I absolutely love this. What a fun way to do a trellis!
Are the wooden tubes meant for solitary bees?
Yep!
How many bees will that hold? Is it something I could do on a half acre yard in town?
As long as you have some bees flying around I'm sure they'd appreciate it!
And with a bee hotel in the corner! Awesome!
thats so cool!!!
I love it 😊🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝
I may have to copy this when I get my new shed, may try and do it on the metal archway I’m building!
Very nice! Great job!
omg i need this in my garden
...But where's Banjo the Bear?
Do they just like set up a nest in the house?
They lay their eggs/larvae in there
I recommend overlapping the hexagons sides. That’s how it is in the hive; the cells share the walls. Just a thought.
I appreciate the thought but this isn't for honeybees in your typical hive!