Bee hotels, solitary bee nests and pollinator planting

Most of the bees in a UK garden are not honeybees. Many are solitary bees, which nest alone in holes, hollow stems or bare soil, and bumblebees, which nest in small colonies, often in the ground. A garden can give them both food and somewhere to nest. This guide covers bee hotels, the nest sites people overlook, and planting, in general terms.

The sources, opened on 14 November 2026, are the RHS page 5 easy ways to make a habitat for wild bees, dated 13 August 2026, and Buglife’s blog post How to be the best bee hotel manager, dated 5 May 2026. We tried Bumblebee Conservation Trust’s gardening page, but the address we had returned “not found”, so nothing here is attributed to that charity. No product page was opened, so no bee hotel model or price is given.

A bee hotel can help or harm

Buglife is blunt that design matters. Its post warns that many shop-bought hotels cause problems. It lists a lack of overhang to shed rainwater, which invites condensation; plastic and cardboard tubes, which it says contribute to “the spread of fungus, disease and parasites”; and bamboo tubes that are often too short and “contain splinters”.

So before buying or building one, check it against what the RHS and Buglife describe.

Building or choosing a hotel

The RHS describes a simple design: a block of wood, drilled with holes, with an optional roof to keep the rain off.

From the RHS page:

• Use wood that is untreated: “Make sure it’s not been treated with any chemicals or paint, or pressure-treated (heat-treated wood is fine).”
• The RHS gives holes of 2–10 mm diameter, drilled as deep as possible, and says roughly 8 mm suits red mason bees.
• Smooth any rough edges so wings are not damaged.

Buglife gives the same 2–10 mm range for a DIY hotel, advises drilling deep holes into untreated wood without going all the way through, and says “tubes with a diameter greater than 10 mm are too large for many bees.” Those are the only hole sizes on this page, and both come from the two sources above.

Where to put it

• Sun. The RHS says a sunny spot on a wall, fence or tree trunk, between 0.5 m and 3 m above ground. Buglife says face it “south or south east to catch the morning sun.”
• Clear of plants. Buglife says avoid vegetation pressing against the hotel.
• Firmly fixed. Buglife says to fasten it securely, because wind can discourage nesting or knock established nests loose.

Look after it

A hotel is not a fit-and-forget item. Buglife says late spring is the time to clean it, because bees cannot clear out old debris themselves, and doing so helps reduce the spread of pests and disease. It also advises replacing used tubes with new ones. If you are unsure whether a tube still holds insects, it says leave it in a sunny spot so they can emerge.

The RHS notes that simple hotels may need replacing every few years as the holes fill up, and that a design which comes apart can be cleaned. Buglife adds that hotels eventually rot, so having a few of different ages can help.

Nest sites that are not hotels

Many bees never use a hotel. The RHS describes three other easy habitats:

• Bare ground for mining bees. Leave a sunny patch of soil bare or mostly bare. The RHS says sandy soil is especially popular because it is easy to burrow into. Watch for small holes and little cones of soil, and avoid disturbing them, “even if they pop up in the lawn!”
• Long grass. Let a corner grow wild. The RHS says “no space is too small”.
• Bumblebee nests. The RHS says ground-nesting bumblebees use long grass and often reuse old mouse holes, and that “a single square metre of long grass is enough space for a bumblebee to make a nest.”

Dead stems, log piles and leaf litter also give insects shelter; that side of the garden is in leaf litter, log piles and compost.

Flowers through the year

A nest is no use without food nearby. Buglife says to make sure “your garden is full of the flowers that they need”, with blooms across the year, and that it matters more that the whole garden works for pollinators than that you have a hotel. The RHS suggests adding some plants for bees if you can.

In general terms:

• Aim for something in flower from early spring to late autumn, not just a burst in June.
• Mix flower shapes, so bees with short and long tongues can feed.
• Leave some lawn weeds to flower, and some beds a little untidy, which Buglife also suggests.

Many plants that feed birds in autumn feed bees first, in flower. Berry-bearing shrubs are covered in bird-friendly plants and berries, and the whole-garden approach is in wildlife-friendly garden.

Keep it chemical-free

Buglife advises keeping the garden “chemical free”. A hotel next to a sprayed border is not much help. More on garden chemicals and wildlife is in pesticides, slug pellets and wildlife.

What size holes should a bee hotel have?

The RHS and Buglife both give 2–10 mm. The RHS says about 8 mm suits red mason bees, and Buglife says tubes wider than 10 mm are too large for many bees.

Which way should a bee hotel face?

Buglife says south or south east to catch the morning sun. The RHS says a sunny spot, 0.5 m to 3 m above ground.

Do I need to clean a bee hotel?

Yes. Buglife says clean it in late spring and replace used tubes, because bees cannot clear out old debris and it helps reduce pests and disease.