TOOLS NEEDED:-
Tenon saw or electric jig saw.
Set square with m.m. ruler.
Drill, either hand or electric.
2 drill bits, 3mm and either a 5mm or 6mm.
Countersink bit (optional)
X head screwdriver or attachment for your electric drill.
16 x 30mm and 3 x 40mm, 6 gauge, X head screws.
Wood glue.
WOOD:-
120mm x 18mm pine board.
30mm x 18mm x 240mm pine strip.
Enough bamboo canes to make about 70 pieces x 120mm long.
I had the wood in "the shed" spare from a previous job. To buy a length of pine board,
120mm x 18mm x 2.1 mts, is about £4.50p from most DIY stores, this is enough to make
2 Bee Boxes.
All the measurements are contained in the blog photographs, as well as where to drill the holes.
After assembling the box, cut the bamboo to length, and with the 6mm drill bit, drill out the
centers. I held each piece in my hand and ran the drill bit through the middle, if you are somewhat wary of maybe drilling a hole in your hand, then hold each piece in a pair of pliers.
Put a dab of wood glue at one end of each piece of bamboo, and stick it to the back of the
box.
The finished box can be left unpainted, but ours is blue, as this seems to attract the bees.
Use the 3 x 40mm screws to mount the box in a sunny, but sheltered spot.
NOTE:-
All measurements are in m.m. if, like me, you were brought up with feet and inches and £.S.D.
please feel free to convert. Cost for a bee box is around £3.00 plus your time.
You will receive as payment, the eternal gratitude of quite a few bees!!!
Instructions all from the cottage carpenter.........Tony.
7 comments:
That is fantastic!! I think we need one in our garden. I like the look of it as much as it's practicality. Imagine little bee bodies slumbering in there - lovely!
I love bees. My mother has worked with japanese bee keepers taking them around New Zealand to visit bee keepers there and has told me many gorgeous bee and bee keeper stories. The japanese bee keepers say that the queen bee hides because she is embarrassed about her promiscuity!
Bella (my mum) taught us that if we ever find a bee that appears sick we should feed it a little sugar and water to help get it's energy level back up.
Thanks for blogging your design
:)
Thanks Sarah and thank Bella.
Next time we find a bee in distress we will try and tempt it with sugar and water.
I can't believe it - I found a tired bee today!! Right in the middle of town on some steps. It was at an environmental rally!! So we gave the stripey little comrade a few drops of flat lemonade and put it in a garden :)
It was obviously meant to bee!
I have been watching the bees coming and going in the garden this morning.....not a sick one among them...but I won't forget the tip.
x x x
I keep shooing healthy bees out of my house, not found any sick ones so far. That's one lovely bee house - shame my carpentry skills are so rubbish!
Thanks Tony! It seems pretty straightforward to build one of these things so I hope to have one made someday soon!
Thank you so much. Tony is one talented gent.. smile..
I need to put Terry to work..
Thanks for posting my giveaway, too, sweet Midge..
xoxo
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