bumble bee box

Having caught a glimps of a bumble bee box ( used to conserve the bumble bee population )on the tele can anyone advise what the content of the box should be to attract the bumble bees to it, advice will be greatly appreciated

teajay

 

Hi teajay,there`s an article in the kitchen Garden mag,May`s edition on bee keeping.I`m almost sure i read something similar in last months too,so it could be a regular thing.I was reading just yesterday a mag.It had one of those boxes, full of cylinder thingies for sale,i think about �£35.00. ..Good luck.Your braver than me.

 

Hi elainefiz, thankls for your reply.will try if I can get a copy,

regards

teajay

 

If you log on to Google and search for "Bumblebee box" you'll get a list of websites which sell them. Pricey at �£30+ - but many of them are illustrated and the sites sometimes even tell you what they're made of. I reckon it would be pretty easy to knock a few up yourself!

You'd get an awful lot of bee boxes out of �£35-worth of plywood!!!

 

I watched news a few mornings ago and they showed you how to make one with plantpot. Might still be on the website - bbcnews.

Looked like all you needed was a bit of old hosepipe, a large plantpot, and some soft stuff to go inside!

 

Have just been onto the bbc news page and found the link...

http://bumblebeeconservationtrust.co.uk/nest_boxes.htm

Hope this is helpful.
The bumblebee conservation trust will also tell you what type of bumblebees you have in your garden if you are able to take a piccy.

Good Luck

 

A bumblebee has taken up home in one of our bluetit boxes. I'd placed some dry moss in it in early spring to encourage the birds, but they are too late now - the house is occupied!