ALDI Australia , BIG W and Bunnings Warehouse Australia and other corporations have caught the bee buzz and are selling insect hotels for Christmas.
For the general public to be spending more time in their garden, often as a family, looking at what invertebrates live there, and to be interested in providing habitat for native bees, or even being aware of them, this is a positive big step. However, according to native bee scientist native Kit Prendergast, who has been researching bee hotels, most of these store-bought bee hotel designs are terrible and can do more harm than good.
“They are too shallow, the holes too large, they use poor materials, and have useless compartments. There is also a risk that imported wood has been fumigated with insecticides. They could be at best not be used by bees, or at worse represent death traps for any bees that do use them.”
To learn what makes a good hotel, how to make one, and other evidence-based information on native bees and how we can help them, you can refer to Creating a Haven for Native Bees , a book by native bee scientist Kit Prendergast.
It can be purchased by emailing
Also follow Native Bee Nick on instagram here
https://instagram.com/nativebeenick?igshid=1m5t3e7qqqpz4
and YouTube.
https://entomologistlounge.wordpress.com/2017/09/18/insect-hotels-a-refuge-or-a-fad/
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