BEE HOUSES. Bees for pollination - Bees are very important to the garden's natural balance and are essential for pollination of fruit, vegetables and herbs. These bees nesting boxes are made from durable FSC wood and provide solitary bees (the blue orchard bee and the red mason bee) and bumble bees with ideal sites to lay eggs. Siting these houses in your garden will increase bee numbers leading to better pollination of flowers etc. Solitary Beehive - This unique wooden (bees prefer wooden nesting sites) solitary beehive is designed specifically to attract non-swarming bees like the red mason bee and the blue orchard bee. These bees are naturally attracted to holes in wood and this solitary beehive simulates natural nesting sites which are becoming harder to find. The Red Mason Bee (Osmia rufa) is active in the garden from March to July and is responsible for pollinating top fruit and soft fruit. The Blue Orchard Bee (Osmia lignaria) is active in the garden from May to September and is an effective pollinator of summer flowers, herbs and vegetables. By attracting both species of bees to your garden, you will ensure effective pollination of plants, trees, herbs and vegetables from March until September. Right : A Blue Mason Bee. Red Mason Bee - Active from March to July pollinating apple, pears and other top fruit, plus soft fruit i.e. strawberries. Blue Orchard Bee - Active from May to the end of September pollinating flowers, vegetable and herbs. Solitary Beehive - This wooden beehive (bees prefer wooden nesting sites) is constructed with a durable timber roof and base with wooden nesting trays in-between which are all held together with two stainless steel bolts - this allows easy access to the entire beehive. The solitary bees then lay their eggs inside the holes and seal them with mud or chewed up vegetation so it is easy to tell if it is being used. The following year the adults and their offspring will use the same nest again building up the numbers of bees in your garden each year. Site the solitary beehive 1-2 metres high, in a sheltered site which catches the morning sun, near scented plants and mud supply is useful but not essential. Solid durable wooden construction. Naturally attractive to solitary bees - bees prefer wooden nesting sites. Easy opening for studying bees and cleaning. Because of to the solid timber construction it can be left out all winter unlike other nesting kits. Non toxic finishes. Height x 200mm Width x 180mm Depth x 160mm Approx Weight 1.5kg. Bumble Bee Nest - Bumblebees are excellent pollinators of a wide variety of shrubs, trees, garden flowers and vegetables and are as useful to the gardener as mason bees. Place this nest in your garden in the Spring in a south facing, sheltered spot, out of direct sunlight, at the base of a bush or evergreen shrub or against a wall / hedge to attract a nest-seeking queen of one of the six commonest species of Bumblebees. She will establish a colony which will be active until early Autumn. The nest comprises of a wooden box with a transparent lid allowing you to observe your bumble bee colony throughout the summer. The nest comes complete with the first years nesting material which the queen uses to make her nest and then lays her eggs. (Simply replace the nesting material each year with new straw or hay.) The eggs will hatch to produce the first workers which then forage for nectar and pollen, allowing the queen to become an egg-laying machine. The males leave the nest and seek females and once mated, the new queen seek a suitable place in which to hibernate over winter. Meanwhile, the males and the colony eventually die, leaving the hibernating queens to start the cycle again in the following spring. Height x 190mm Width x 200mm Depth x 140mm Approx Weight 1.5kg. Nest material/instructions and excellent Bumble Bee Guide are included. NAME DESCRIPTION PRICE ADD Solitary Beehive Nesting box for mason bees. £24.99 Bumble Bee House With transparent lid. £19.99 Bee Bumper Pack Solitary Beehive & a Bumble bee house save £2.98 £42.00 Gift Boxes - Solve your present problems the easy way with our gift boxes - full of our best selling products, delivered in a gift box, ready wrapped and save money too!! The boxes can be sent to you or why not have them delivered direct to your friends or relations. Boxes available are :- Ladybird Gift Boxes Grow your own Gift Box Bee Gift Box Butterfly Gift Box CLICK HERE to find out more. As well as providing bees with nests, there are two simple things you can do to make your garden more bee friendly :- Plant nectar rich flowers such as Borage, Geraniums, Wallflowers, deadnettles and feverfew and herbs i.e. Thyme, Oregano and horehound. Provide building supplies within a few metes of the nest i.e. a heap of well sifted soil, moistened slightly with water.