Hobbies And Interests
Things You'll Need
Instructions
Cut four pieces of flat wood in equal sizes of 6 inches wide by 2 feet long and with about a 1/2-inch thickness. These sizes can be changed to suit the size of the house you want to build, as long as they are all even.
Lay one piece flat on the floor to act as the bottom and place another piece upright and lengthwise along the side of the piece on the floor to form a 90-degree angle. Drill a couple of screws along the side where the edges of the two boards meet to form the first side and bottom of a box.
Repeat Step 2 by screwing another piece of wood to the base board on the opposite lengthwise side. You should now have a bottom board with upward-facing walls.
Measure the width of the space between the walls and the height from the floor of the box to the top of the walls.
Saw three smaller pieces of wood that are equal in length and width to the measurements just taken. These will act as the end pieces of the box as well as a center piece to divide the box into two rooms.
Drill a hole in the center of each of the three smaller pieces of wood. The holes should be 3/4 inch in diameter so that bees can easily move through them.
Insert the center wood piece so that it fits snugly into the box, dividing it in half. Hold it in place as you screw at least one small screw through each side of the box into the width of the dividing board.
Place the other two small pieces at each end of the box and screw them in the same way as you connected the divider.
Set some moss or organic cotton batting in one of the compartments to provide starter bedding material for the bees.
Screw the final piece onto the top of the box to complete it. Set the box outside near flowers, trees, shrubs or a garden, either on the ground or elevated and out of direct sunlight.
Monitor the bee activity around the box to determine whether you need to move it to a different location for better colonization or if you need to provide more flowers nearby to aid in attraction.