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5 ways to make a perfect habitat for wild bees

How to make a bee hotel and more: five easy features to make any outdoor space a refuge for native bees and help declining populations

Did you know that the UK is home to around 270 species of wild bee? The vast majority of the UK’s

native buzzers are solitary bees, accounting for over 240 species. Then there are 24 bumblebees, and one species of honeybee, though most of the UK’s honeybees live in colonies managed by humans.

While honeybee hives can be useful for ensuring local crops are pollinated, the best ways to help wild bees don’t involve installing hives – these only support the one honeybee species, which at a local scale can be present in such large numbers that they actually compete with wild bees for food.

Rather than using hives, wild bees nest in holes, burrows and cavities in trees, walls, the ground and more, depending on species. Make sure there are plenty of plants for pollinators around so that everyone’s well fed, then try creating some of these easy wild bee habitats in your garden, school, park or community space to support our declining native bees. 

1. Easy bee hotel

A simple DIY bee hotel made from two stacked blocks of wood, drilled with holes, and forward-sloping wooden roof
It’s easy to make a simple DIY bug hotel that’s specially designed for native solitary bees. The beauty of this design is that you don’t need a garden or even any outdoor space – just a wall or fence to hang it on – but it’s also a great addition to community spaces such as schools and parks. 
 
  1. Take a block of wood at least 10cm deep from front to back. Make sure it’s not been treated with any chemicals or paint, or pressure-treated (heat-treated wood is fine). 
  2. Carefully drill holes of a range of diameters between 2 and 10mm, as deep as you can – the deeper the hole, the more eggs the bee can fit in. 8mm-wide holes are ideally suited to red mason bees, which are very receptive to manmade accommodation, while the other hole sizes may attract different species, such as yellow-faced bees.
  3. Ensure the holes are smoothly drilled, evening out any rough edges to prevent wings being damaged.
  4. Add a simple roof if you wish – this is good for keeping rain off, unless you plan to put it in a covered area – and a hook or loop of wire for hanging it up.
  5. Site your bee hotel in a sunny spot on a wall, fence or tree trunk, anywhere between 0.5m and 3m above ground.
A simple model like this may need to be replaced every few years as all the holes fill up.

If you’re feeling inventive, you could try a more involved design using the drilled block principle, such as these boxed bee hotels at Overbeck’s Garden in Devon
Don’t fancy making your own? Buy one here from RHS Plants. This model can be taken apart when needed to clean out old debris from the holes.


2. Bee post high-rise

Bee posts on University of Sheffield: The Invisible Balance Garden at RHS Sandringham Flower Show 2026
If you have any fenceposts or dead tree trunks in your garden, you could simply drill some holes in these instead, to the same spec as above. Alternatively, you can install a drilled post, such as a reclaimed fence post, in a border or wildlife area and make it a design feature. Again, ensure the wood hasn’t been treated with anything other than heat and that holes are drilled as smoothly as you can.

Bee posts among ornamental grasses on Clover Hill at RHS Hyde Hall
You can spot bee posts in the Clover Hill borders at RHS Garden Hyde Hall. “These are reclaimed fence posts that had been used elsewhere in the garden and had become bent,” says horticulturist Sarah Wilson-Frost. “I drilled various size holes into them, 2-10mm across and 10-15cm deep. I placed three of them in the border in a staggered way that draws the eye through to the gazebo beyond. There was interest within three days and by two weeks later, holes were inhabited. Build it and they will come.”

Leave room in the post for drilling new holes as they gradually fill up, or expect that you may need to replace the post every few years.

The trunk of a dead tree is perfect for drilling with holes for solitary bees

3. Bamboo bundles

A bundle of bamboo lengths hanging from a vine at Overbeck’s Garden
If you don’t fancy drilling holes, another option is to cut bamboo canes into lengths and tie these into bundles. This is another feature that doesn’t require any outdoor ground space – just a sunny wall, fence or tree to hang it on.

Check that your bamboo sections are hollow down the centre, and again take care to smooth off any rough cut edges. 

Leaf-cutter bees may also nest in lengths of bamboo – here stuffed into a length of old pipe, but a tin can or similar also works

4. Sunny patch of bare soil

A small burrowing hole in a mound of bare soil made by a mining bee
In a sunny spot, leave a patch of soil bare or mostly bare to allow it to become a nesting site for ground-nesting solitary bees such as mining bees. Sandy soil is especially popular, as it’s easy to burrow into.

Look out for little holes and cones of soil appearing – a sure sign residents have moved in – and try to avoid disturbing these, even if they pop up in the lawn!

The nesting burrow of a solitary bee, thought to be the tawny mining bee, in a mown lawn

5. Corner of long, tangled grass

A corner of long grass with a simple path mown through makes an effective design feature, as well as providing for wildlife
 Set aside an area of your garden that you can allow to become wilder and the lawn to grow long – even if it’s only a small corner. This will benefit a wide range of wildlife, from butterflies to hedgehogs, but it could also provide the perfect nesting opportunity for ground-nesting bumblebees. As well as digging burrows of their own, they’ll often reuse old mouse holes.

No space is too small – a single square metre of long grass is enough space for a bumblebee to make a nest. Of course, the more space you can spare, the more habitat you’ll provide for all the wildlife sharing your garden.
 
Long grass looks great in combination with fruit trees and informal, wildlife-friendly planting
See how many of these easy habitat features you can add to your outdoor space to make it a haven for bees. Don’t forget to add some plants for bees if you can, then sit back and enjoy watching to see who moves in!

Download the RHS Grow app to see how many wildlife-friendly gardening badges you can collect for your outdoor space.

About the author – Olivia Drake

With a background in biology, Olivia is passionate about sustainable horticulture and the role gardening can play in conservation. She is professionally trained as a botanical horticulturist and has worked in public gardens around the UK and abroad.

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