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Bees

gary 803gary 803 Posts: 74
i love bees but will they go into my bee hotel, nope! What can I do to get them to nest there? I can usually see 3 or 4 in the trees nearby and in and out of cracks in the wall?

Posts

  • B3B3 Posts: 27,505
    The sign is a bit faded, maybe they can't read it.
    In London. Keen but lazy.
  • gary 803gary 803 Posts: 74
    Ah! I wondered why...
  • wild edgeswild edges Posts: 10,497
    The resident spider isn't going to help attract guests either. The leaf cutter bees haven't started nesting yet so there's still time for someone to take a fancy to it.
    If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
  • I had lots of mason bees on mine until recently, but now there is nothing.
  • BobTheGardenerBobTheGardener Posts: 11,385
    Perhaps it's getting too hot in the sun?  Might be worth moving it to somewhere with a bit of shade, such as behind a shrub or to a north or east-facing wall/fence.
    A trowel in the hand is worth a thousand lost under a bush.
  • mikeymustardmikeymustard Posts: 495
    edited June 2020
    I read one account of someone altering the height of their hotel and getting better results. I found this if it's any help:
    https://friendsoftheearth.uk/bees/bee-hotels-solitary-bees-simple-guide

    Edit: that's the height it's fixed at not the...you know height  
  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    This type or any by Schwegler are much more likely to work.
  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 30,090
    Both of mine are in shade - one propped in the fork of a mature wisteria so shade all day once the leaves come on and one on the east facing wall near the opening of a sort of carport so sun only early morning.  Both are roughly at eye height and both have signs of occupancy but only 50% so far tho I have seen other insects sniffing about and crawling in to check the facilities.
    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
    Plato
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