Have you ever wanted a bee hotel? There are some fantastic bee hotel ideas out there, and these can look so cute and lovely in your garden, as well as helping out the bees! We all know they need a little assistance these days, so let’s look at some top bee hotel ideas you can use at home.
Our favourite bee hotel ideas include the Something Different Beehive, the Nature Conform Insect Hotel, the Wildlife World Barrel, and the Bee Brick, but any of these options will help you to attract bees to your garden and make it a haven for insect life of all kinds!
Why Should You Add A Bee Hotel To Your Garden?
Bee hotels are a wonderful addition to a garden for a number of reasons. Firstly, they are great for the bees – which is probably the top reason to add one to your bee-friendly garden. They give bees (and often other insects) a safe place in which to hide themselves.
These hotels will encourage different types of bees and insects to come to your garden, increasing the biodiversity and making it easier for the species to survive. While this is just one aspect of helping out these beautiful pollinators, it is a step that’s easy to take and anyone who has a garden can do it.
A bee hotel provides the bees with shelter from both the rain and the sun. They usually have little tunnels that the bees can crawl into and hide inside, protecting themselves from predators as well as the elements.
Bee hotels also look great and are a sure way to tell everyone that your garden is a haven for nature. If you are into the wild aesthetic, these hotels are a good way to show it, especially once they are inhabited.
For more information on bee hotels, check out the Bee Hotel: All You Need To Know In One Concise Manual.
What Are Our Favorite Bee Hotels?
So, what are the best bee hotels out there? We’re going to look at the top ten options.
Something Different Beehive
The Something Different Beehive is inexpensive and very cute, with bright yellow edging to lighten up any garden and make the bees feel at home. The materials have been sourced from forests that are managed by the Forest Stewardship Council, so you can rest assured you aren’t doing harm elsewhere.
With a simple hook at the top, this is easy to hang, not too large, and just perfect for bees to enjoy.
Relaxdays Freestanding XXL Insect Hotel
If you’re looking to help more than just the bees, this hotel is the one for you. It is beautiful and offers a suitable home to all sorts of bugs and creatures, including hedgehogs!
The bottom has a cute opening for the hogs to crawl into so that they can access a safe tunnel.
The rest of the hotel is comprised of different sized tubes and holes for a whole range of insects to seek shelter in.
Mason Bee House
You might prefer something small, simple, and less expensive, in which case this Mason Bee House is ideal.
It’s very cute and can be easily hung from any tree branch to give bees a sheltered spot.
It can also be used by ladybugs and other insects, and it is made of high quality pine, so it should last well even in bad weather.
Nature Conform Insect Hotel
This hotel represents a great middle ground, where bees of various sizes can find shelter.
It is also possible to peer in at the larvae and bees inside, making this a wonderful teaching tool for young children interested in insects.
Aesthetically pleasing and waterproof, this is a good option for your garden.
Heritage Fix On Round Wooden Insect Hotel
If those square houses are bothering you and you’d rather have something more organic, this might be a great option.
It can easily be fixed to a tree or another structure, and it offers a whole host of materials for insects to choose from.
Pet Ting Wooden Insect Bee House
Another option with lots of different sized gaps and holes, the Pet Ting Insect House could attract bees, butterflies, and ladybugs to your yard, offering a home for all kinds of different species.
It is nicely designed and claims to have environmentally friendly components (although no certification is given).
There are quite a few materials, including straw, but be aware that this may get damp and not provide a suitable home after a while; you don’t want your bughouse rotting!
Navaris XL Wooden Insect Hotel
For an economical but complicated and very detailed design, try the Navaris Insect Hotel.
This has four different layers, each with different material and various hole sizes to provide safety to a range of insects.
From pine cones at the bottom, bamboo canes in the second layer, larger holes in the third, and wood blocks in the top, it offers multiple textures and sizes for insects to choose from, meaning it is likely to be popular with many different kinds of bugs.
Wildlife World Barrel
If you specifically want to attract solitary bees to your garden, this could be the best product for you.
It is simple, stylish, and perfect for solitary bees, which will nest in the tubes, staying safe from predators and bad weather.
The timber is FSC certified and it is easy to hang up in any part of your garden, where it will look lovely. This is perfect if you want to keep things simple.
Wildlife Friend Insect Hotel
With a metal roof, this hotel is probably one of the most durable ideas on the list, and contains a multitude of breeding chambers for various bugs.
Again, several tube sizes are offered, alongside straw, pine cones, and pieces of bark to provide plenty of nesting spots for all kinds of bugs.
This will stand in your garden or it can be fixed to a wall or tree if you have a suitable space instead. Be aware that the canes are reed, not bamboo, and may therefore not last as long. You should check them for any mould issues from time to time, as you don’t want sick bees in your insect hotel.
Bee Brick Nester
For a completely different take on the bee hotel, you could consider a Bee Brick Nester. These are extremely simple in design, and very unobtrusive in a garden. The bees can seal up the cavities to protect their young, and this brick is ideal in urban settings.
Very durable, this is an innovative take on the product and maybe more flexible than the other hotels offered, although it won’t give you the enjoyment of a wooden bee house in your garden.
Conclusion
Helping out the bees and other insects is becoming a crucial part of living at one with nature and trying to help the planet, and bug hotels are a simple way to do this. They also offer a great learning opportunity for young children to better understand insects, so these are excellent gifts, too.
Bee hotels – and indeed, insect hotels – are a sure way to make your garden more eco-friendly without having to turn it into a wilderness!
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