Saturday, August 30, 2014

Native Bee Hotel

Yesterday at the Blue Mountains Community Garden the Native Bee Hotel was installed. It's rather cute, don't you think?


The gardens are taking part in a native bee study around Sydney to see which species of native bees are populating different areas. So over the next few months we will be observing which bees choose to nest in this hotel. There are little holes drilled in the wood, and hollow reeds and hollow lantana stems that you can see in the picture below, so the bees have a choice as to where they want to nest.

The native bees that will nest here are solitary bees so they don't make honey. They make a little protein patty for the egg that they lay.

Even though they don't make honey, they are essential to have around for the pollination of fruit trees and veggies in our garden and they are also lovely to watch buzzing from flower to flower.

For information about the study, check out www.beebusiness.com.au

3 comments:

Stins said...

That's a pretty Bee& Bee ;-)!
We have a small one in our garden, but i haven't seen a
bee in it yet... Have to advertise a bit more I guess...
Love from Mirjam.

Els said...

Yes also had some cut up stalks bundled up for them ...

Do I see the first few flowers ;-) ?

Nicole and Andrew said...

one of those bee hives is on my long list of to do's