Use this tutorial to make a simple bee house for wood-nesting bees in your garden. It uses leftover scraps of untreated 2x4s for an eco-friendly way to help native bees.
We also have free nesting box plans for birds including chickadees, wrens, and bluebirds.
About Bee Houses
Ever wonder what bee houses are for? A good bee house provides a safe place for bees to lay their eggs—the next generation of bees.
In nature, wood-nesting and cavity-nesting bees use materials like hollow plants stems and decaying wood stumps to house their eggs.
While natural materials—including dead and decaying matter—are vital for an eco-friendly garden, a bee house may also help.
I made this simple bee house from scraps of untreated 2×4 lumber that was headed for landfill. It’s a shame how many wood scraps end up in landfill so I’m happy to reuse them where I can.
The design is a bit different than other bee houses for two important reasons.
- The tunnels (holes) are fully accessible which means you can sand them during construction for a nice, smooth surface.
- The frame is easily removed to access the tunnels for maintenance.
We have a lot of “tunnel bees” in our garden. They currently spend a lot of time making holes in the wood walls of our patio and shed—only to find they’re too shallow for nesting so I’m hoping this house will provide another option..
If you decide to make a project like this, keep in mind it’s not set-it-and-forget-it. Just like birdfeeders and nesting boxes, bee houses require routine maintenance and cleaning. The goal is to assist native bees without spreading parasites, mites, and disease.
I had a house similar to this some years ago that got good use so I’m curious to see how this one does.
Make A Bee House
I’ll walk you through how I made this bee house.
Supplies & Materials
This is what I used. Adapt to use what you have.
- (10) Scraps of untreated 2x4x7-inch lumber for tunnel pieces
- (4) Scraps of untreated 2x4x9-inch lumber for frame
- (18) 2.5-inch deck screws
- Tools: electric drill (Amazon), 1/4-inch drill bit, 1/32 drill bit, saw, sander, vice,
- Hanger or long deck screws for mounting on fence or wall
Use Untreated Scrap Lumber
It starts with scraps of preservative-free lumber. I used pieces of 2×4 spruce.
Choose a Layout & Cut Wood to Size
The next picture jumps ahead in the process to show the layout I chose for my bee house.
For the tunnel pieces, I used (10) 2x4x7-inch wood pieces (2 rows with 5 blocks each). These pieces need to be longer than the drilled tunnels are deep.
Bees won’t use tunnels that are open at each end. And neither will they use tunnels that are too shallow (less than 2 or 3 inches). My drill bit reached approximately 4-inches deep.
The frames are made from (4) additional 2x4s cut to size to fit around the tunnel blocks. Don’t make the frame until your tunnel blocks are all ready—measurements will change with sanding and assembly.
Drill Holes
The actual bee tunnels (drilled holes) are created between two pieces of wood. This allows you to take them apart for sanding now and cleaning later.
To drill holes, line up two pieces in a vice and drill where they join.
I used a 1/4-inch drill bit and made each hole as deep as the bit could reach.
Make Registration Marks
After drilling each set of tunnels, line up your drilled pieces with the tunnels aligned and draw registration marks. Write your marks at the ends where you did not drill. The frame will hide them later.
I gave each piece of wood a name (first row – A, B, C, D, E and second row F, G, H, I, J). After drilling each set of holes, I drew two lines to make it easy to realign the pieces to the tunnels would line up again.
In the following photo, see pieces G and F and the drawn lines? That’s what I mean. Next I marked G and H. Then H and I. And so on.
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Sand Everything
I used an orbital sander (Amazon) to smooth edges, remove any sharp bits of wood, and make the tunnels nice and smooth.
Build Frame
The bee house is held together using 2.5-inch screws.
First, make a frame using scrap 2x4s, encasing the tunnel pieces.
Cut each one to the exact size needed by putting the wood in place and marking the desired cut line.
Attach in place using 2 screws at each corner.
Even with the frame in place the blocks will be slightly wiggly. To fix this, I added one screw into each tunnel block through the frame.
Make a Hanger (Optional)
Decide how you want to hang the unit on your fence or wall.
I made a hanger with wire, washers, and wood screws like you see below.
To make it really secure, predrill holes and use long screws on an angle through the frame, into the fence.
Hang Bee House in Garden
It’s commonly recommended to hang bee houses 3 to 5-feet above ground in a part-sun location.
Again, make sure it’s really secure in place and will not wiggle or wobble.
Maintenance
As mentioned, all artificial (human-made) wildlife feeders, houses, and nesting boxes need regular upkeep to ensure they are safe and beneficial.
The Xerces.org article in the Resources section below has tips for upkeep.
If you suspect your bee house is not contributing to the well-being of your garden, remove it.
I hope your bees enjoy the new nursery.
Resources
- Tunnel Nests for Native Bees: Nest Construction and Management | This PDF document at Xerces.org has detailed information on best practices for bee houses and other DIY nesting containers.
- Take the Bee Quiz and Test Your Bee Smarts | Empress of Dirt introduction to bees
- Free Nesting Box Plans | Plans for chickadee, wren, bluebird, and robins
Is my garden part of a healthy ecosystem?
Here are some goals:
- Healthy soil, air, and water free of pollutants, herbicides, and pesticides.
- Choosing plants that benefit local wildlife providing food or shelter.
- Aim to garden (more) sustainably. Gardens can be regenerative: sequestering carbon dioxide, naturally filter water, giving decomposing plants back to the earth, and more.
You can read more ecological gardening tips here.
Eco-Beneficial Gardening Books
I recommend these books because they get gardeners excited about ecological gardening and the incredible relationships between plants and animals. Our future is in our hands!
1 The Pollinator Victory Garden | Kim Eierman | Win the War on Pollinator Decline with Ecological Gardening; Attract and Support Bees, Beetles, Butterflies, Bats, and Other Pollinators
2 A Garden for the Rusty-Patched Bumblebee: Creating Habitat for Native Pollinators: Ontario and Great Lakes Edition | Lorraine Johnson, Sheila Colla | All the information gardeners need to take action to support and protect pollinators, by creating habitat in yards and community spaces, on balconies and boulevards, everywhere!
3 The Gardener’s Guide to Native Plants of the Southern Great Lakes Region | Rick Gray and Shaun Booth | Distills all the information essential for growing 150 species of garden-worthy native plants into a single, at-a-glance guide.
4 Bringing Nature Home: How You Can Sustain Wildlife with Native Plants | Doug Tallamy
5 Garden Allies: The Insects, Birds, & Other Animals that Keep Your Garden Beautiful and Thriving | Frederique Lavoipierre
6 The Humane Gardener: Nurturing a Backyard Habitat for Wildlife (How to Create a Sustainable and Ethical Garden that Promotes Native Wildlife, Plants, and Biodiversity) | Nancy Lawson
~Melissa the Empress of Dirt ♛