I spent some time in the garden today watching the solitary bees investigating my bee hotel. One of the holes seemed particularly popular.
Here’s solitary bee 1 helpfully pointing to the most popular hole:
In case I needed further persuasion of the benefits of this hole over any of the others, little bee entered to demonstrate…
Only to go into reverse rather swiftly on discovering the hole was already occupied!
Well, bees, there are plenty of holes to choose from, so please do make yourselves at home, there is room for everyone 🙂
Inspired by the Lens-Artists Photo Challenge: At Home.
I love these photos. Great shots of the bee. Bee 1 does look a little horrified. 🙂
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did you make this bee hotel? buy it? and why would bees use it? more info is needed about this “bee hotel.”
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This one was a birthday gift that was purchased in a shop a few years ago. You can make your own too. They’re for solitary bees – these are different from the bees we’re used to that live in hives. These, as you can guess from the name, live on their own. The females look for places to lay their eggs, and a bee hotel is somewhere they quite like – they like hollow stems, holes in the ground etc. After they lay their egg they leave some pollen for it to eat when it grows and then plug up the end to keep them safe. When they’re grown they nibble their way out
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i have never heard of such thing!! very interesting. could this “solitary bee” be only in the area you live????? i guess i will have to google this. lol
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I just got a little solitary bee hotel too – and I’ve been so happy at how quickly all the bees used it 🙂 Lovely pics.
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Ha! Wow. Really good shots!
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Holy smokes Suzy, that is one HUGE bee chasing out the interloper! But what a cool “hotel” – have never heard of such a thing. Good for you, the bees need us and we need them!
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Gosh Suzy what an inspiring post and such great images too… I’m going to make a bee hotel too! Thank you, Emma 🙂
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Wonderful images, Suzy! And you managed a story as well – what a shock when the bigger bee(?) peeped out. Well done.
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These are great photos!
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Eek. Poor bee. We made a bee hotel but so far it has only been occupied by a huntsman spider. I pity any bee that moves in.
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I absolutely love these close-ups. I would not have thought of (or had the courage) to move in so closely, but your perspective brings the bee’s world up close. Well done!
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