This NEW Solitary Bee Reed House an attractive, wall-mountable wooden bee house that holds removable natural reed nesting tubes, that will attract mason / solitary bees into your garden and encourage them to return each year. Solitary bees love to nest in natural, hollow reeds, so this open-ended, wall mountable Solitary Bee Reed House is designed to house a bundle of dry reeds, which the bees can access from both ends. Each bundle contains approx 100 x dry reeds approx 18cm long. Designed to attract non-swarming solitary bees like Mason Bees, Leafcutter Bees and other solitary bees, these friendly bees are safe around children and pets and almost never sting, but are effective plant pollinators. Height x 14cm width x 20cm depth x 15cm. 

The dry reeds included with the Solitary Bee Reed House naturally provide a range of hole sizes that will attract a range of non-swarming bees solitary bees like 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 Mason Bee (Osmia caerulescens) is active in the garden from late April to late July and is an effective pollinator of summer flowers, herbs and vegetables. Solitary bees then lay their eggs inside the hollow reeds 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 solitary bees visiting your garden each year. Site the solitary beehive on a fence. wall or on a post 1-1.5 metres high, in a sheltered site which catches the morning sun and near scented plants. A mud supply is useful, but not essential. Height x 14cm width x 20cm depth x 15cm. 

• Site in a sunny position facing between south south east to catch some morning sun. Mounting height between ground level and 1.5m.
• No chemical treatments needed as the habitat is painted with water based paint.

Special Offer – Add an EXTRA bundle of Nesting Reeds for £10.00 saving £4.99 off the combined price

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• Site in a sunny position facing between south and south east to catch some morning sun. Mounting height between ground level and 1.5m.
• No chemical treatments needed as the habitat is made from durable timber.
• Tubes may be inspected after bee activity has ceased i.e. in the Autumn/Winter.

Use Solitary Bee Cocoons to boost the number of solitary bees in your garden.  These UK bred solitary bees are supplied as cocoons and can either be added to the release chamber in the top of our Solitary Bee Houses or buy them “loose” with a cardboard release box. Each cocoon contains a Red Mason Bee that is normally active in the garden from March to July pollinating top fruit and soft fruit. These cocoons have been bred for us in the UK and refrigerated to keep them in top condition over the winter. Available between the end of Feb and May (dependent on stock – order early to avoid disappointment), once they arrive they will hatch within 2-3 weeks once the weather is warm enough – they need a daytime temp of 13c. Ideally release them next to a bee house to encourage them to nest again in your garden. Available as :-

• Loose with a release box – Supplied in a cardboard release box, simply push out the pre-cut holes and position the box in a sheltered place (it is NOT weatherproof and will need protection from the rain) next to where you want them to nest.
• Add them to a Solitary Bee House – Featuring cardboard nesting tubes, our Solitary Bee Houses are designed to attract solitary bees but more importantly, some of them have release chambers in their roofs, so you can easily allow your cocoons to hatch / emerge. 

Special Offer – Buy Solitary Bee Cocoons at the same time ready for releasing and save £2.50 off the combined price – discount applied in the shopping basket. 

The post Solitary Bee Hotel with a Release Chamber appeared first on Green Gardener.

The DIY Solitary Bee Hotel contains 24 solitary bee tubes that are the right size to attract non-swarming bees like the Red Mason Bee, Leafcutter Bee and other solitary bees. These friendly bees are safe around children and pets (they rarely sting) and are naturally attracted to holes in wood – holes which are becoming harder to find in modern gardens. 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 Mason Bee (Osmia caerulescens) is active in the garden from late April to late Julyand is an effective pollinator of summer flowers, herbs and vegetables.

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 solitary bees visiting your garden each year. Site the solitary beehive 1-1.5 metres high, in a sheltered site which catches the morning sun and near scented plants. A mud supply is useful, but not essential.

• Site in a sunny position facing between south south east to catch some morning sun. Mounting height between ground level and 1.5m.
• No tools required, made from sustainable timber and is buildable in around 20 mins.
• Nesting tubes may be inspected after bee activity has ceased i.e. in the Autumn/Winter.

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Also available – This Bee Field Guide is part of the Winged Insect Wildlife Pack containing 5 different Field Guides for £24.99 saving £9.96.

The post Bee Field Guide appeared first on Green Gardener.

• Ladybirds – Ladybirds are one of the best known beneficial insect and a welcome sight in the garden, where they happily munch away on greenfly and other tasty pests. By boosting their numbers, it will lead to a permanent decrease in the number of pests in your garden i.e. aphids and spider mites. The Beneficial Insect Tower has lots of areas for ladybirds to breed and over-winter in.
• Lacewings – Adult lacewings are attractive flying insects with translucent pale green wings that feed on nectar, but their larvae feed on aphids and other soft bodied insects such as whitefly and thrip eating hundreds of pests each. The majority of adult lacewings do not survive the winter due to a lack of over-wintering sites, so by positioning a insect house you can help more of these beneficial insects to survive the winter, so that they can lay hundreds of eggs in the spring.
• Solitary Bees House – The holes will attract non-swarming bees like the Red Mason Bee, Leafcutter Bee and other solitary bees. The bees can nest in the tubes / drilled wooden blocks.  Bee Cocoons can be released from the chamber at the base. 
• Butterflies – The middle section contains a slotted wooden home for butterflies / moths to roost / shelter in from the winter weather. You can also add dry bark, straw, dry leaves or shredded paper to create a warm, sheltered home for the winter.

The post Giant Beneficial Insect Tower appeared first on Green Gardener.

• Site in a sunny position facing between south and south east to catch some morning sun. Mounting height between ground level and 1.5m.
• No chemical treatments needed as the habitat is made from durable timber.
• Tubes may be inspected after bee activity has ceased i.e. in the Autumn/Winter.

Special Offer – Buy Solitary Bee Cocoons at the same time ready for releasing and save £2.50 off the combined price – discount applied in the shopping basket.

Use Solitary Bee Cocoons to boost the number of solitary bees in your garden.  These UK bred solitary bees are supplied as cocoons and can either be added to the release chamber in the top of our Solitary Bee Houses or buy them “loose” with a cardboard release box. Each cocoon contains a Red Mason Bee that is normally active in the garden from March to July pollinating top fruit and soft fruit. These cocoons have been bred for us in the UK and refrigerated to keep them in top condition over the winter. Available between the end of Feb and May (dependent on stock – order early to avoid disappointment), once they arrive they will hatch within 2-3 weeks once the weather is warm enough – they need a daytime temp of 13c. Ideally release them next to a bee house to encourage them to nest again in your garden. Available as :-

• Loose with a release box – Supplied in a cardboard release box, simply push out the pre-cut holes and position the box in a sheltered place (it is NOT weatherproof and will need protection from the rain) next to where you want them to nest.
• Add them to a Solitary Bee House – Featuring cardboard nesting tubes, our Solitary Bee Houses are designed to attract solitary bees but more importantly, some of them have release chambers in their roofs, so you can easily allow your cocoons to hatch / emerge. 

The post Solitary Bee House with a Release Base appeared first on Green Gardener.

• Loose with a release box – Supplied in a cardboard release box, simply push out the pre-cut holes and position the box in a sheltered place (it is NOT weatherproof and will need protection from the rain) next to where you want them to nest.
• Add them to a Solitary Bee House – Featuring cardboard nesting tubes, our Solitary Bee Houses are designed to attract solitary bees but more importantly, some of them have release chambers in their roofs, so you can easily allow your cocoons to hatch / emerge. 

Our wall mountable, wooden Solitary Bee Houses are made locally in the UK from sustainable FSC timber and have been designed to attract solitary bees and encourage them to nest in your garden. They feature cardboard nesting tubes, which will attract nesting solitary bees PLUS they can be easily removed for annual harvesting / cleaning / inspection. It also means you can “harvest cocoons” and re-locate to other areas of the garden or give them to friends. Solitary bees then lay their eggs inside the tubes 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 solitary bees visiting your garden each year. Watch out for the houses with Bee Release chambers built in as this makes it very easy to release solitary bee cocoons.

Special Offers – Buy a Solitary Bee House with a Release Base or a Solitary Bee Hotel with Release Chamber or a 6 Tray Solitary Bee House at the same time as bee cocoons and save £2.50 off the combined price – discount applied in the shopping basket. 

N.B. Please note that due to import restrictions we cannot send Bee Cocoons to the Isle of Mann – any orders will be cancelled and refunded.

The post Solitary Bee Cocoons appeared first on Green Gardener.

Site in a sunny position facing between south and south east to catch some morning sun. Mounting height between ground level and 1.5m. No chemical treatments needed as the habitat is made from durable timber.

N.B. Add our Bee Cocoons to your release tray to increase the number of Solitary Bees in your garden.

The post Solitary Bee Factory appeared first on Green Gardener.

The flowers in this Easysow Butterfly & Bee Seed Mixture attract insects by providing them with TWO rich sources of food – nectar and pollen PLUS they look good too! Nectar contains sugars and provides insects with an energy source, while pollen grains contain protein and oils. To keep your mini wild flower meadow flowering year after year, simply cut the flowers back after they have stopped flowering by mowing on a high setting. The Easysow Butterfly & Bee Seed Mixture are in 300g packs which is enough to cover up to 75 sqm. Sow in the spring and / or autumn, by simply scattering over freshly raked soil and watering well.

The post Easysow Butterfly & Bee Seeds appeared first on Green Gardener.

The dry reeds included with the Solitary Bee Reed House naturally provide a range of hole sizes that will attract a range of non-swarming bees solitary bees like 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 Mason Bee (Osmia caerulescens) is active in the garden from late April to late July and is an effective pollinator of summer flowers, herbs and vegetables. Solitary bees then lay their eggs inside the hollow reeds 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 solitary bees visiting your garden each year. Site the solitary beehive on a fence. wall or on a post 1-1.5 metres high, in a sheltered site which catches the morning sun and near scented plants. A mud supply is useful, but not essential. Height x 14cm width x 20cm depth x 15cm. 

• Site in a sunny position facing between south south east to catch some morning sun. Mounting height between ground level and 1.5m.
• No chemical treatments needed as the habitat is painted with water based paint.

Special Offer – Buy Solitary Bee Cocoons at the same time and saving £2.50 off the combined price – discount applied in the shopping basket.

The post Solitary Bee Reed House inc Reed Bundle appeared first on Green Gardener.