MegaSack DRAW - This year's winner is user - rgwb
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We have been in our new house for 1 year and starting to work on the garden to move the balance away form evergreen conifers to more flowering plants etc.
We have a section of garden wall that is built to have half brick sized holes in it patterned all along. I was wondering if anyone has any idead as to what we could put into these voids to try and make good habitat for bee's and other insects. It is covered on one side by a very large bush but is currently open to the elements on the other side. Have seen the insect habitat boards at garden centers which just looks like lots of different sized holes is the key.
maybe some cut down air bricks mortared into the voids - smear of mortar on one side to close off the holes.
Should attract masonry bees. You can buy masonry bee "nests" which are clusters of cardboard tubes about 8mm id.
EDIT
take one of these, cut it to fit the void.
[img] http://s7g1.scene7.com/is/image/BandQ/5012016171440_001c_v001_zp [/img]
make up some mortar and plug one side of ends to enough depth to hold. Let that go off, then mortar it into the half brick holes, maybe augmenting the original pattern. Have the holes open on the south facing elevation
http://www.spab.org.uk/advice/technical-qas/technical-qa-17-masonry-bees/
I'd say smaller diameter bamboo chopped into the correct length to fit through the wall and then used to fill the space would work... seems to be what many bee houses are made from, anyway...
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We have a little bee house which is made up of short lengths of hollow bamboo cane. Not sure if you could cobble together something like that?
Edit: Doh! Yes like ^^^^^^ those
I've got one of those things that Markie posted. Nowt in it yet mind!
They recommend a south facing location, about a metre off the ground and preferably amongst or near scented flowers. Fussy b*stards these bees 🙂