Easy to make, fantastic to watch and attracts not only solitary bees but also associated parasitic wasps. Also making a home are several species of solitary wasp. This log is positioned outside my back door and has given me so much pleasure over the last couple of years.
Bee log, Carlton Nottinghamshire, all large holes are now
filled with clay from last years Red Mason Bees.
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| Gasteruption jaculator visiting my bee log. Carlton, Nottinghamshire |
Get yourself a decent size log, mine has a diameter of 60cm. The difficult bit is getting someone with a chain saw to saw a bit of about 12cm in depth. Once you have the log get a selection of drill bits any size between 2mm and 10mm. Drill holes in what I would consider a random looking pattern. Attach to south or south west facing wall before the end of March. Go on give it a go there's still time to get one up.
The large holes, 8-10mm are good for Red Mason Bee, Osmia bicornis. I also have smaller bees, I think they are Osmia caerulea. Also using the log are Male Hairy footed Flower Anthophora plumipes these bees use it as a roost. Bee Parasites include the fantastic Gasteruption jaculator, and the wasps Sapyga quequinpunctata and Jewel wasp Chrysis ignata.
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