Use the following materials to create your bee hotel and substitute materials as required.
- Empty & rinsed Meluka Australia Probiotic Concentrate bottle with label removed
- Measuring tape or ruler
- Wire or string
- Box cutter
- Wire cutter
- Sandpaper
- 8-12cm long Bamboo cut offs with varying diameters or sturdy paper straws
With your box cutter carefully cut the top of bottle off.
Sand the top of bamboo to get rid of any fraying or rough edges to stop bees from tearing their fragile wings. Fill your bottle with bamboo until space is completely filled.
Measure appropriate length of wire depending on where you plan to put it & cut 2 lengths. Wrap wire tightly around bottle and secure by twisting wire together.
Secure your bee hotel to a sturdy base in a sheltered sunny to semi-shaded spot 1-2 metres off the ground near a source of water & food.
To go one step further, use or make a larger shelter and fill with a combination of materials to appeal to more bee varieties.
We used the following materials to build onto our bee hotel:
- Scrap piece of pine wood
- Firewood / logs
- Old timber deck pieces
You can use any waterproof structure to create your larger bee home such as a hollow block of wood or make your own structure like we did. Then fill the space with your Meluka bee hotel we made in step 1-2. Then any other materials you have around your house that are suitable for a bee to live in such as the following.
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Bamboo Hollows
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3mm-10mm drilled logs (untreated)
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Clay filled structures with 3mm-10mm holes pushed in
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Untreated wood with drilled 3mm-10mm holes
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Hollow plant stems
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Twigs tied tightly together