Monday, April 18, 2011

Mason Bee Condo...

     Kelly and I spent the weekend finishing the trim work on our basement.  While we were cutting trim in the garage I found a slab of wood left over from the table project.  (Do you get the feeling there are a lot of projects at our house?)  Since the wood is untreated, I figured it would be perfect for a mason bee house. 




     I started with a 3 1/2  x 4 1/2 inch slab of untreated wood.    My loving husband cut the top at a 35 degree angle.  I sanded it down some. 


    I used a 5/16th drill bit for the nesting holes.  I went in about 3 inches.   A bit of advice, after carefully drawing a grid for the holes, stick to the grid.  Deviation from your lines affects how neat your rows are.  Luckily, I don't think mason bees are picky about uniformity in their condos. 




     The red roof was an accident.  I was painting the basement trim and painted the roof before I realized what I was doing.  Since that is an interior paint and of course this is going to be outside, that could be a problem.  I used wood glue to attach the roof to the top of the condo.  Then just to make sure it made it though the winter, I put a couple of nails in with the nail gun.  


     All that is left is to attach a sturdy hanger to the back.  I will be putting it up on a south facing post in the orchard.  I had one at our old home and the mason bees loved it.  Even though we have two hives, you can never have enough bees.  I'll probably make a few more before the summer is over.  Overall, the project took about 1 hour.

7 comments:

  1. Hi..it's me...Bonnie, from What About Pie. Thanks for stopping by my blog again. I just started to look around your blog and I love it! Your home is so beautiful! So..you've got me interested in this bee house! I don't know what mason bees are, but I will look them up on the internet. Will mason bees just come and make a nest or do you have to purchase the bees and put them there??

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  2. I love it! That is what I plan to do with some left over untreated wood from our raised beds. I was wondering what to do with the top and I love your idea. I'm sure the bees will be moving in soon.

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  3. I love the condo--a great Earth Day project!

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  4. I am working on a pollinator habitat for some CSP (conservation stewardship program) projects. I will have to incorporate some of these!

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  5. I just paid $19.00 for a Mason Bee house and all the ingredients for your condo are laying in my Husbands garage!!

    I am on the barn hop from Homestead Revival. Stop by MY BLOG when you get a chance...... I am having a giveaway!!

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  6. It is so cute! It turnes out great. So glad that I found your blog!

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  7. I love that you care for bees....I didn't know that they would be attracted to a house or "condo" What a great idea this is to encourage them.

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