LUXURY Insect pollinators contribute $29 billion to U.S. farm income Bees and other insects that pollinate plants in the United States have suffered in recent decades from mites, pesticides, pathogens, land development and habitat fragmentation. Nevertheless, production of insect-pollinated crops has mostly increased this century. Now, new research shows that insect pollinators' value to farmers may be hard to replace. Maintenance for Your Bee House (reprint from: thegardeningcoach.net) Do not move the bee house while there is nesting activity as it may confuse the female bees causing them to abandon their nest. In the winter, protect your bee house from bird predators by placing hardware cloth around it. Make sure to remove the wire in spring so the emerging bees will not damage their delicate wings. Or, store your bee houses in an unheated garage or outbuilding that will stay at temperatures below 39 degrees. Handle the bee houses carefully so as to not damage the brood cells. After 3 or 4 years you may need to clean your bee house or replace it. Several indicators will tell you that it is time for maintenance including no new nests that season, the sealed tunnels have not opened for over a year, or there is debris in the tunnel blocking it. If the bee house needs cleaning but you suspect there are tunnels that contain live young, there is a way to let them emerge but not return to old nest. Use a bucket with a tight fitting lid and painted black to eliminate all light inside. A hole should be drilled in the bottom of the bucket. In the spring, place your old bee house in the bucket and hang it near a new bee house. The bee will emerge and, attracted by the light, will crawl through the hole and find the new house. To clean the old bee house, re-drill the holes all the way through. Then soak it in bleach and water (1:2) for 5 minutes and let thoroughly dry. FREE Plan from 3Dwoodworkingplans.com Page 1
Bees are amazing and so beneficial, unfortunately they decreasing in numbers. They are so important to our agricultural system everyone should help them multiply and survive. This bee condo plan is a very elaborate bee condo and there is no need to go to this extreme. There are all kinds of structures that are simpler to construct, just search the web and you will find all kinds of ideas. This is one resource I found interesting. http://www.thegardeningcoach.net/services/native-bees If you decide to build this one, great, have fun. The important thing is to build a new bee abode. EXPLODED FREE Plan from 3Dwoodworkingplans.com Page 2
Front & Back Panels (Parts A & B) FREE Plan from 3Dwoodworkingplans.com Page 3
Side, Bottom, Middle & Top Shelves (Parts C, D, E, F) FREE Plan from 3Dwoodworkingplans.com Page 4
Upper Nesting Blocks, Roof & Drip Rail (Parts G, H, I, J) FREE Plan from 3Dwoodworkingplans.com Page 5
Nesting Trays & Predator Guards (Parts K, L, M) FREE Plan from 3Dwoodworkingplans.com Page 6
TEMPLATE FREE Plan from 3Dwoodworkingplans.com Page 7
Material List E 1 Middle Shelf 3/4 7 3/8 9 1/2 Pine Rabbet - 3 Edges, Access Curve Front Edge 4 F 1 Inside Top 3/4 7 9 1/2 Pine 4 G 6 Bevelled Nesting Block 1 1/2 1 1/2 6 Spruce Bevel, Assorted Holes (1/8"-3/8") 5 H 6 Square Nesting Blocks 1 1/2 1 1/2 6 & 5 1/2 Spruce Assorted Holes (1/8"-3/8") 5 I 2 1/2 Roof Panel 3/4 8 11/16 11 3/4 Pine 45 Degree Miter (1 Edge), Decorative Profile Optional 5 J 1 Drip Rail 3/4 1 9 Pine Bevel, Saw Kerf (Water Break) 5 K 24 Nesting Trays 5/8 6 8 1/4 Pine 10-5/32 Semi-circles 6 L 1 Predator Guard 1/4 10 1/4 16 13/16 Plexiglass Cut out Bee shape as an access hole 6 M 1 Predator Wire Guard Wire Enough to cover the top opening 6 N Template Bee Template 7 FREE Plan from 3Dwoodworkingplans.com Page 8