Bees are incredibly important when it comes to pollinating plants, so why not invite them into your garden? Carson Arthur shows us how to make two DIY houses to attract mason bees, which aren’t aggressive and the males don’t sting!
Bee house #1:
- With drill bits of various sizes (5/16th of an inch works best for mason bees), simply take some scrap lumber and drill holes 3 to 5 inches deep, but not all the way through, the wood block.
- For example, get a 4 x 4 inch piece of wood and drill holes that are 3 1/2 inches deep.
Bee house #2:
- Select natural reeds of various diameters.
- The inside should be 5/16 inches to 3/8 inches for mason bees and 1/4 inch for leafcutter bees. If they’re too large, the bees may avoid them.
- The bees will select the tubes that are the right size for them.
- The bamboo can be cut and squeezed into an empty coffee can or any number of containers, including a wooden birdhouse (see video).