Forensic Science Ireland

We’re buzzing about our Bee Hotels and Banks!

There is lots of natural habitat around the nature reserve for Solitary Bees – both cavity nesting and ground nesting species. These important pollinators need a food source within 300m of their nest. Between wildflower meadow, wild margins and flowering hedgerow there are plenty of pollen and nectar sources for them at Wildacres. To give them a helping hand and to provide educational features, we have created artificial structures for the two types.

Bee Hotels for Cavity Nesting Solitary Bees

At Wildacres we have designed a bee hotel which has been very successful at attracting Mason Bees and Leafcutter Bees as can be seen from the photos below. We use salvaged roof tiles and wood pieces to create these built habitats.

We have placed several Bee Hotels around the nature reserve for educational purposes. They are also available for attendees of biodiversity workshops at Wildacres to purchase. Each one comes with this information sheet to explain more about these wonderful creatures and where and how to position these structures within a flower rich area for food souce. Their production is time consuming and the salvaged slate is costly, so we are grateful to Forensic Science Ireland for funding the creation of a batch of 10 of them.

Bee Hotel with multiple nests protected with mud by mason bees.

Leafcutter bee returning with leaf to protect her nest

Tunnels need to be greater than 100mm long, and between 3mn and 10mm in diameter. Special drills bits required!

Bee Hotel beside Wildlife Tower and bee bank behind.

Mason bees mating

Mason bees at their tunnels

Mason bee returning to tunnel

Leafcutter bee returning with leaf pieces

Wildacres volunteers constructing bee hotels

Newly constructured Bee Hotel in situ

Bee Banks for Ground Nesting Solitary Bees

Bare Earth banks are the ideal habitat for ground nesting bees. With the support of Forensic Science Ireland, we have created four bare earth banks across the nature reserve – at the top end of the wildflower meadow, beside the wildflower tower at the end of the wildflower meadow, beside the education centre in a flower rich area and in the pollinator border of the garden area.

All the banks are sheltered and south facing and are successful at attracting solitary bees including Clarke’s Mining Bee (Andrena clarkella), a spring specialist that feeds on willow. We have planted lots of willow at Wildacres so there is plenty of forage for them.

These banks also attract the Ashy Mining Bee (Andrena cineraria) pictured below. A distinctive black with grey/white hairs.

We hope you enjoy the images below showing you the different stages of bare earth bee bank construction.