Bee & B, Insect Hotel

Our insects need all the help they can get these days!!!

This bee and insect hotel can help both bees,bumble bees, lady bugs and so much more friends in the nature with a place to survive when us humans are extinguishing our friends by our way of living.

Materials needed:
4 pcs of plank 10*30 cm (A)
2 pcs of plank 10*30 cm, one side 45* (B)
2 pcs of plywood 10*30 cm (C)
plywood for back 30*45 cm

and two smaller plywood pieces for walls in second floor (depending on the thickness of plank, but around 9*12 cm)
bamboo
wood
bark
pine cones
fir cones

screw
Metal net (chicken net, found it in a hobby store, it's used to reinforce concrete)
two pieces of masonite for text - optional and one for bumble bee wall (around 9*6 cm)
paint -optional

Tools:
saw
drill

stapler that that works on wood

brush - optional

Before screwing, be sure to pre drill, to avoid cracks.
Start by attaching the walls to the bottom.
Screw this to the back, to make it stable and avoid leaning and then screw the roof in place.

I wanted the floors to be evenly placed in the house so I took a pen and marked 10 cm apart on both sides. I nailed the floors in place since they were a little to thin for screwing with my screws.
Now the foundation is done!

I painted it to make it hold better in our swedish weather and to make it feel more like a house.

The bees and our insects need materials to sleep in.

In the bottom I've placed fir and pine cones.

In the first floor is wood with holes drilled into it.

Second floor is divided into three rooms: bamboo in first, I bought it in the flowers section of the department store. The middle rooms has a wall with a drilled hole as door, which makes it perfect for bumble bees. And the last room is more wood.

The penthouse consists of bark and small sticks.
Then I drill a lot of holes in the woods. The holes should be at least 8 mm wide and 10 cm deep for bees.

I add a thin metal net (chicken net) to the pine/fir cone floor and bark floor, to make sure that no one removes them(I can think of a squirrel or two that would love pine and fir cones)

Well, all that remains now is a sign that tells visitors where they are and if there are any vacancies. I took two pieces of masonite, pained them white and write with a permanent pen.

I added two small loops to the bottom of the hotel and the vacancies sign is then attached to them with a thin metal wire.

Now we are open for business!!