Bumble Box

I've blogged before about the problems our native bees are facing and things anyone can do to help them. With a slightly higher degree of difficulty than the project in that post, I built a Bumble Bee Domicile.

One board, a handful of wood screws, some wood glue and an about an hour was all it took. Bumble bees don't make their own nests, often nesting in abandoned rodent dens underground. So inside the box is dirt, grass and leaf litter, and a center of kapok fibers, a soft insulating material.

Recommended placement is a dry spot that gets morning sun, then afternoon shade. With nearby flower gardens. The top is not attached, for easy cleaning. Thus the rock on top, holding it down.

I was straightforward to assemble, easy actually. I used two tools, a table saw and a hand drill. If you want to make one yourself, you can find plans here. And I've plenty of kapok fiber that I'd be happy to share.

🐝  🐝  🐝  🐝 🐝

While it was easy to assemble it wasn't all smooth sailing.

Yeah, I don't know what happened. And no, as I didn't have my first beer until after the box was built and placed in the yard. So I don't even have that excuse.

And there wasn't any actual sailing either.