07/07/2023
Better to leave twigs and brush in the garden than try to keep up with cleaning bee houses
For the last few years, bee houses and insect motels have been all the rage in the wildlife garden. But when it comes to bee houses, there's the good, the bad, and the ugly.
Good bee houses allow for the removal and sanitation or replacement of nesting tubes. The house in the upper right is ideal since all of the paper tubes and trays can be removed and cleaned between nesting seasons. The house in the lower left, however, is a great example of what NOT to buy. Despite the Pollinator Partnership logo that appeared on the label, this house has several key flaws, including not providing adequate depth of nesting tubes and not allowing for the removal of the tubes to be properly cleaned. The result? When used for more than one season, you might end up with pollen mites (like those pictured in the lower right photo). Keep in mind that large bee and insect hotels can create ideal conditions for the spread of disease and mites. They may also inadvertently create a buffet for predatory insects looking for a quick meal!
When properly managed, small bee houses can be a fun way to support native bees. But it's best to plant a diversity of native flowering plants and leave the stems or brush piles to overwinter for a few years. Cavity nesters like mason and leaf cutter bees will create nests in the pithy stems or logs. š
