Bumblebee House

Attract native bumblebees to your garden and help create much needed pollinator habitat for our native bumblebee species with a hand-painted bee house, created by GMCG’s AmeriCorps members, interns and staff. Bee houses (also called bee hotels or pollinator houses) provide artificial nesting spaces for solitary native bees like mason bees, sweat bees and leafcutter bees. About 90% of native bee species are solitary, and these houses provide the small cavities females need to raise their young. Natural nesting is the best way to support native bees, but if done right, artificial nesting can provide a boost to wild bees and be a fun, educational, and engaging activity. This particular bee house is designed for bumblebees. There are 49 species of bumblebee in the United States, and one quarter of them are on the edge of extinction. Bee house tips: Nesting Tubes: The house should contain hollow reeds (Reeds are not included, but are easy to collect. Mint, bee balm, echinacea, day lily, cattail reeds are what we use at GMCG, with good success!) Location: Hang the house 3 to 5 feet off the ground on a stable structure like a wall, post or fence facing south or southeast to catch morning sun. It should not swing in the wind. Food Source: Place the house near a garden with a variety of native, bee-friendly flowers and a source of mud or water. For more information on what to plant, visit: https://www.pollinator.org/pollinator.org/assets/generalFiles/pollinator-garden-cards_northeast-region-v2.pdf Cleaning: Unmaintained houses can trap parasites and fungi. Replace reeds annually. FMI about Bee Houses & Bumblebees: https://www.pollinator.org/pollinator.org/assets/generalFiles/Bee-Houses-2-pager.pdf https://www.pollinator.org/learning-center/bumble-bee-resources