Not all types of bees live in hives like honey bees. Some bees, called solitary bees, live on their own and make little nests in a variety of different places. A bee hotel provides a safe place for these bees to nest.

You will need:

• An empty 2 litre drinks bottle
• Bamboo or other hollow stems (enough to fill bottle – roughly 15cm)
• One metre of string
• A pair of scissors
• A pair of secateurs or small hacksaw

Instructions:

1. Cut the top off of the plastic bottle (children will need an adult to help with this). This should leave you with a roughly 15cm long plastic cylinder which is sealed at one end.

2. Next use the secateurs or hacksaw to cut the bamboo to the same length as your bottle. This will need to be done by an adult – it may be a good idea to prepare this beforehand.

3. Pack the lengths of bamboo into the bottle as tightly as you can.

4. Tie a loop of string quite tightly around the bottle about a quarter of the way in from one end. Repeat at the other end. Use another length of string to connect the two loops, making a handle to hang your bee hotel from.

5. Now you need to choose where to hang your bee hotel, ideally somewhere sunny and sheltered from the wind. South or east-facing walls/fences are best. Make sure that it is at least 1m above the ground, and that it isn’t overshadowed by plants and buildings too much during the day.

6. If you are hanging your hotel on a wooden surface then you can hammer in a few nails to hang it from. You can also attach the hotel to stone or masonry, but you’ll need a drill for this.

7. Make sure that the hotel is level. If you can’t get it perfectly horizontal then make sure the sealed end is higher than the open end. This will prevent water from collecting in the bottle..