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    Build a native bee hotel

    Bees are essential to a healthy ecosystem, but their numbers are declining worldwide, mainly due to habitat loss and pesticide. One simple way we can help is by creating spaces for them to thrive.

    Bee hotels are a great way for the community to support local biodiversity by providing safe nesting spots for native bees right in our own gardens. Meet some of the native bees you might spot in your garden, learn how to build your own bee hotel, and discover practical ways to support and protect these important pollinators.


    Sydney's native bees

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    Teddy bear bee
    Blue banded bee
    Leaf cutter bee
    Reed bee

    Teddy bear bee, credit: Muchos Insectos - Flickr; Blue banded bee; Leaf cutter bee, credit: Jean & Fred Hort - Flickr; Reed bee, credit: Jean & Fred Hort - Flickr.

    In the Sydney region there are 200 native bee species. Most are tiny – smaller than the common European honeybee – so you might not have noticed them.

    While some bees, like the well-known Sugarbag stingless bees (Tetragonula carbonaria), nest in hives, the majority are solitary. These bees make their nests in shallow ground tunnels or stems of dead plants.

    Here are a few common ones you might spot:

    • Teddy bear (Amegilla bombiformis) and blue-banded bees (Amegilla cingulata) dig shallow burrows in the ground, soft sandstone or even soft mortar between bricks
    • Leaf cutter bees (Megachile sp.) cut neat circles from leaves to take back to their nests in ground burrows or crevices
    • Resin bees (also Megachile genus) nest in narrow holes in timber or crevices in other materials, sealing the entrance with sticky plant resin

    Find out more about our native bees and what makes them so special.


    Build your own bee hotel

    Bee hotels are suitable for bees who like to burrow in tubes, like resin, leaf cutter, reed and masked bees.


    What you'll need

    • Waterproof frame (hardwood or a recycled plastic bottle)
    • Bamboo canes (3–10 mm in diameter, 15–20 cm long with no blockages inside but sealed at one end)
    • Lantana stems or similar soft-centred branches
    • String or wire
    • Pruning clippers and/or a saw
    • Sandpaper
    • Weatherproof, non-toxic paint (optional for decoration)
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    Diagram of components of timber bee hotel
    Diagram of components of plastic bottle bee hotel


    Constuct your hotel

    If you are handy, build a timber frame with untreated hardwood 15-20cm deep, with a slight overhang of the roof to protect from the weather. Alternatively, you can also use a plastic bottle.

    Cut bamboo and lantana stems to 15–20 cm lengths. Smooth any rough edges with sandpaper. Place the stems inside the hotel frame. You can tie them together with string if needed – avoiding glue, as it may harm the bees.

    Want to give your bee hotel a personal touch? Use weatherproof, non-toxic paint to decorate the outside and potentially attract more bees!

    It may take time for bees to find your hotel and move in. You may need to wait until spring or summer, when bees are most active.

    You should aim to clean your bee hotel every two years, or once all of the tubes have been used or start deteriorating. Wait until late winter when most bees have hatched and moved on before you do this.

    First, carefully remove the stems and place them in a dry outdoor area. Place a box or bucket upside down over the tubes, with a small hole to let in the light. When the remaining bees emerge, they will fly towards the light. Then you are safe to refill the hotel with fresh, stems and bamboo.

    Find out how to build a bee hotel for blue banded bees, which nest in soft sandstone and old mortar, in this video from Planting Seeds.


    More ways to support and protect native pollinators

    Here are more simple things you can do at home to create a bee-friendly environment:

    • Grow flowering native plants – bees favour blue and yellow but will seek out any flower
    • Avoid pesticides and other poisons – this will also benefit lizards and birds who eat insects
    • Let some of your herbs flower
    • Leave some dead stems and wood on your plants to provide natural nesting sites
    • Add some stones or rocks to your bird bath so bees can easily access the water
    • Keep a stingless beehive in your garden
    • Look closely at the insects on your flowers and use iNaturalist to log sightings and ID native bees