Bee Hotel - Any Tips or Advice ?
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I actually love Bees , as I know what good they do and I love to see them around my garden going in and out of the flowers .
Not into bee keeping (that would be a step too far ! ) . However I've heard that others such as "Mason Bees " and others do the same pollinating job .
Seen lots of these "Bee Hotels " on the likes of Amazon/ EBay - not expensive . Has anyone got any recommendations ? I know I could easily cobble together a few with bunches of cut down canes , knowing my luck they would shun my handiwork and move on 
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I have thought of this myself but my youngest age 5 is too scared maybe when he a bit older
Bees will never attack you or sting you (unlike wasps ! ) . They will only sting as a last resort as their sting is part of their body . If they sting it rips off them and they die !
Get your lad to sit and watch them amongst the flowers doing their thing . Its a wonderful thing and trust me he will not get stung 
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Golfforall I've tried telling him that but he still scared of being near any insects or spiders.
Bumble bees and carpenter bees have smooth stingers and are capable of stinging multiple times without dying. It is only the honey bee that has the barbed stinger which dies after stinging.
Johnny Good to know , I still love them , and to be honest wouldn't know the difference 
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We made are own with got a big tin from are local take away and got bamboo stick from my friend honestly don't know where she got them from we left it in my dads back garden seen some bees in there but I won't go to close lol
I want to encourage them , they will not sting (see my previous comment to Imnotcheap ) . I'd like to give them somewhere to rest and perhaps encourage more to do their thing in my garden 
Golfforall I know much about them but seen this on google if that helps
Fill gardens with RHS Plants for Pollinators plants.
Allow lawn 'weeds' to flower by cutting less often.
Provide water for pollinators.
Avoid using pesticides wherever possible and never spray open flowers.
Provide nest sites for wild bees.
Leannexxx Being a golfer my lawn is sacrosanct , mown often and weeds are immediately dealt with ! The rest of my garden is for the bees to use as a playground . Just want to give them somewhere to sleep when their day's work is done .
My husband made a bee hotel last year for solitary bees. I’m pleased to say it’s being used, so hopefully they’re pollinating our flowers.
We have several bee hotels, most of which had very little free space this year. Although the pictures don't show it we have since put some netting over them as last year the birds pecked at many of them after they had been filled and we were left with not many at all! We position most of them so that the sun shines into them in the afternoons. The hotels are easy to make yourself but we have bought ours over the years so haven't needed to do that yet. Good luck with your bees 
The RHS have a tutorial on making a bee hotel or there are some on YouTube.
I was lazy and bought one on Amazon. It quickly became home to a cutter bee and some little insects. Fascinating to watch.
Bees work really hard and become exhausted in their short lives. Try placing some sugar water (2 parts sugar / 1 part water) near your hotel to help any guests and attract new customers.
BB&B 
I have to admit I have a soft spot for bees and encourage them into the garden. This year they've taken over a metal cover/hood of a BBQ that had been rubbed down awaiting some Hammerite. They turned squatters two days into the refurb project and are still in residence. All they need is a 'cavity' protected from rain and, providing you have adequate flowers, they will stay.
I'm not a lover of Lavender but have three plants in the garden, for them, and it is usually smothered in bees from dawn 'til dusk. Contrary to the sugar water theory they should be placed back on a flower if they look exhausted, where they can get a nectar 'hit' with nutrients that they need.
I love Bees and would like to help them , I know I could bang up a few tatty looking "bee hotels" for them and am certainly not trying to impress guests or neighbours , so maybe a few quid spent on Amazon is the way forward for me
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