[{"id":243162874049,"handle":"solitary-bees","updated_at":"2026-03-21T11:23:10+00:00","published_at":"2021-01-28T09:55:00+00:00","sort_order":"manual","template_suffix":"","published_scope":"web","title":"Solitary Bees","body_html":"\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eAlthough not as familiar as honey bees or bumblebees, solitary bees are gentle bees that are amazingly effective pollinator. In the U.K just under 250 of the 270 species of bee are solitary bees. As the name suggests, they tend not to live in colonies. Instead, they lay their larvae in tubes, tunnels or nesting chambers. Sealing them in with enough food to last until they are ready to emerge through the seal of mud and chewed leaves as adult pollinators.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eNatural habitats, for solitary bees to build nests, become harder to find in modern gardens. The addition of a solitary bee house or hotel can attract bees to your garden to nest and return year after year. The ideal site to place your solitary bee house is well above the ground in a warm, south-facing position, ideally, near plenty of nectar-rich flowers, plants and tree. To attract solitary bees into your garden, you should include flowering plants to provide nectar and pollen. Our selected range of native wildflower species is ideal for pollinating bees in our Plants for Wildlife category.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eWildlife World has been studying the solitary bee for 15 years. As a result, we have many tried and tested solitary bee habitats for you to choose from. As well as the essentials to enable you to build your bee hotels.\u003c\/p\u003e","image":{"created_at":"2021-02-15T12:00:36+00:00","alt":null,"width":900,"height":934,"src":"\/\/wildlifeworldtrade.co.uk\/cdn\/shop\/collections\/solitary_bees_900x_2727bfad-3ca6-41a5-bb08-89947459072f.jpg?v=1613390436"}}]
These specially drilled wooden tubes are ideal for mason bees and leafcutter bees, and other overwintering insects. The tubes come in a range of sizes from 5mm up to 12mm; the middle sizes 7mm to 10mm are best for solitary bees. It can be used to fill existing bee boxes or to make a simple bee nester.
Solitary bees are gentle bees and excellent pollinators to increase vegetable, flower and fruit yields. From March to August, these bee species will lay eggs in the tubes and create a series of cells from mud or leaf. The larvae will develop over the winter period in the tubes and will then emerge the following spring. Ensure that your own bee box is well-insulated or overwinter your full bee box in the shed or garage. If left outside, cover the full tubes with wire mesh to prevent predation from greedy woodpeckers.
Siting
Position your bee box in a sunny position about 1 or 2 metres above the ground. Preferably amongst flowers/foliage, so that the face of the bee box catches the morning sun.
To help the conservation of these species, please support the International Bee Research Association –IBRA WEBSITE.
Range from 5mm – 12mm Internal Diameter x 150mm Long
