How can I encourage bees?

WildCall Officer, Andy Fry

Question: I’d like to encourage bees, I’ve grown lots of flowers for them but is there anything else I can do?

Answer:

Bees need plenty of nectar and pollen to fuel their flight and rear their young, so flowers are really important. But they also need plenty of suitable nest sites. Of the 270 species of bee in Britain, just under 250 are solitary bees. As the name suggests, solitary bees do not form colonies like bumblebees and Honey Bees do. Instead, each individual female makes and provisions her own nest. They’re not entirely antisocial though, and several females will often nest in the same area or sometimes use one communal entrance.

Solitary bees are extremely important pollinators and should be encouraged in gardens. They nest in a variety of places and there are four main groups: carpenter bees have powerful jaws to dig tunnels in wood; mason bees like to nest in walls, making use of existing holes or squeezing between bricks; mining bees mostly nest in the ground; and leafcutter bees are best recognised by their distinctive behaviour, cutting out sections of leaves (often roses) with their jaws and using them to line their nests. Many species will happily make use of a home-made bee hotel: all you need is a piece of wood at least 75mm thick (a fence post is ideal) and a drill to create a range of artificial nest tunnels. Drill randomly-placed holes into one side of the wood (from 3mm to 10mm diameter) taking care not to drill all the way through. Alternatively, bundles of hollow bamboo canes work well. Place your bee hotel in a sunny spot and watch the guests check in.