Kitchen Garden Forum

Of course, I mean the smaller versions, such as are sold for Mason Bees (see below - around the size of a baked bean can).

Even though it doesn't feel fully warm enough for bees yet, I believe Mason Bees are starting to get active and looking for nesting spots in March most years. If you fancy getting some more pollinators into your garden or allotment soon in a managable way, why not give it a go?

There are quite a few outlets if you do a search for Mason bee tubes in Google, but one example is here

I saw a wasp a couple of days ago, hopefully bees soon, I also leave undisturbed sites for ground nesting bees and have made an insect hotel. A bed of foxgloves and open flowers and flowering herbs also encourage them.

I've seen plenty of bees working my snowdrops during the last few days, a sign that Spring must surely be soon I hope.

Barney

Apparently bees like to work their way along straight edges, so good places to put a small hive is on a fence or shed (under the eaves?).

Sadly I have neither of these down at my allotment. In previous years I had the hives on my greenhouse (and they were always well visited). We got rid of the greenhouse so I'm going to try them fitted to my compost bin down at the allotment.

Might be worth tying this in with Lizzie's post:
viewtopic.php?f=8&t=8150

We don't need to attract mason bees, they love our house walls. Last year we had some which managed to chew their way right through a 3 ft stone wall and emerge into the hallway
We had to gently discourage them and then fill the holes.