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Dukes and Duchesses

Dallas Fort Worth Creative Lifestyle Blogger

building · Written by Randi Dukes

DIY Bee House

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I was in Target this week and saw a really cute bee house in the gardening area.  I have a fascination with bees and would love to own more land so I could actually try my hand at bee keeping but in the meantime, I decided to make a DIY bee house for our back yard!

DIY bee house

Bee houses are a fun way to become a solitary bee keeper!  While honey bees live in colonies and generally require large complex living spaces, solitary bees like mason bees thrive in modest surroundings and bee houses require very little upkeep.  Solitary bees will nest in small tubes or tunnel and that will become its home for its short life {generally about eleven months} from egg to adult.  They rarely sting and they’re very useful for pollinating fruit crops.

I thought it would be fun to build our own bee hotel and see if we can provide a place for these useful little creatures.

To make this simple bee house, I used a 1×6 board and cut it into two 4 inch long pieces and two 5 inch long pieces.

wood for bee house

I also bought a pile of bamboo stakes.  Online garden shops sell small stakes in bulk.

bamboo pieces to make bee house

I used my nail gun {affiliate} to attach the pieces of wood together into a square with openings on each side …

wood box for bee house

… then cut the bamboo stakes to the length of the house.  If the bamboo sticks aren’t dry enough, they may still have a soft center in them.  Use an awl to poke that center out. 

Then place the house on its end with the front facing up and place the bamboo pieces into the house, continuing to add more until all the bamboo pieces are wedged tightly in.

bamboo pieces in bee house

Place the bee house in the yard, preferably near a water source.  I placed mine in a tree but if bees don’t start coming around, I’ll try it on the fence or in another spot.

DIY bee hotel

I’m really looking forward to seeing what happens with our little backyard bee hotel!

DIY mason bee house

Don’t want to make your own bee house?  Buy a ready made bee house here {affiliate}!

honey bee house

For more ways to draw nature to your yard, be sure to check out these fun ideas for repurposed bird houses …

15 repurposed bird feeder projects

… and a cedar bird feeder with homemade suet.

DIY cedar bird feeder with homemade suet


8 Comments

About Randi Dukes

I’m Randi, a Dallas-based mom of five kids, ranging from third grade to college and including a set of twins. I love strong coffee, craft and DIY projects, my planner, and my big ol’ family. When I’m not creating something for my blog, I can be found in the car, running kids from one place to another. I’m the one knitting at the red light. Connect with me on google+ | twitter | facebook

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Comments

  1. Brenda Young says

    April 2, 2017 at 10:09 am

    I love helping the bees out in the garden, they re so important to have around. What a great project tutorial, pinning to my bee board!

    Reply
  2. Gabrielle Tyler says

    April 3, 2017 at 10:38 am

    I want bees one day! This looks easy enough. Thanks for sharing.

    Reply
  3. Malia@Small Town Girl Blog says

    April 4, 2017 at 8:01 pm

    Love this! I hope to make one this summer! Pinned and sharing!

    Reply
  4. Colleen Delawder says

    April 7, 2017 at 6:50 am

    I could have some seriously happy bees in my backyard with this cute lil’ bee house! What a great idea!

    Reply
  5. Angie ~ ambient wares says

    April 8, 2017 at 9:48 pm

    I love this so much! Thanks for sharing with us at Funtastic Friday 🙂 Pinned

    Reply
  6. Emily says

    April 14, 2017 at 11:03 am

    What a cool idea! Thanks for sharing at the Monday Funday Party! – Emily

    Reply
  7. Janet Higgins says

    May 7, 2019 at 3:34 pm

    I want to make a bee house but am not sure as to whether they need a back or not. Did u put a back on yours??

    Reply
    • Randi Dukes says

      May 8, 2019 at 10:41 am

      I didn’t put a back on it because I wanted them to be able to access from both sides. But I think a back would also be fine..

      Reply

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Welcome to Dukes & Duchesses!

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I’m Randi, a mom of five living in Dallas. I love strong coffee, long lists, bright colors, thrift stores, repurposed junk, and power tools.

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