Help our environment with a Bee Hotel

During lockdown, Maddie (11) told me that she thought that a good project would be to make a Bee Hotel for the garden.

At the time, she was busy re-cycling old glass coffee jars into food storage containers, and we were discussing ways to not only save money but to help the environment at the same time.

The lonely bee

Solitary bees, unlike honeybees and bumble bees live alone and usually build their nests in hollow stems and beetle holes.

Bees are such hard workers and are essential to the planet.

If you like gardening, then you should plant a garden full of “bee friendly” plants that will provide the necessary nectar and pollen for these busy little workers.

Plants like rosemary, lavender, sage and thyme and flowering annuals and perennials such as alyssum, catmint, cosmos, marigold and phlox.

Bees are such important little creatures and work so hard to make a teaspoon of honey during their short little lives – read more here

The busy bee

Bees go from one plant to another and pollinate them, which in turn helps the plants reproduce. Bees even help plants survive by preventing inbreeding.

Difference between native bees and honey bees

In Australia the native bees don’t store nectar, and therefore they generally don’t produce honey, at least not in ample amounts. European honey bees were introduced into Australia about 200 years ago for that exact reason – to produce honey.

If native bees don’t produce honey, do we even need them?

Native bees pollinate native plants, many of which can’t be pollinated by introduced bees. Some flowers need vibration to release pollen, which many of our native bees can do. This is called ‘buzz pollination’.

How to build a Bee Hotel

You will need:

• An untreated wooden plank, at least 10 cm wide.

• Plenty of hollow stems of different diameters (suggest bamboo or sticks).

• Saw, drill, screws and secateurs.

• A mirror fixing to hang the finished nest up.

(Optional) if you want to make it a little more fun and festive you could paint it, or glue some glitter onto it )

Read more here or for a bee hotel from old pallets click here

Apparently bees experience happy emotions, but can also become sad, so let’s keep them happy, so that our children and granchildren enjoy a healthy environment.

Surprising fact: They are also known to have flatulence issues and fart – the amount of poop that they produce is a sign that the beehive is healthy! Read more here

The worker bees will also run around after the Queen bee and clean up her mess!

“No bees – no honey, no work – no money!”

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Renovating a home is not for the faint hearted Take it from one who knows! Smart wiring, or smart homes are often talked about and the digital natives amongst us know all the tricks. Just listening to some of the things required in our new smart home made my head...

Messy house or hoarder?

by gentlelifehacks | 18/06/2021 | Handy hints, Lifestyle, Opinion | 0 Comments

Sometimes it is hard to differentiate between hoarding and extreme clutter. Many times in my real estate career, I have come across people who do not see the clutter when they come to sell their homes. It is rude to point it out to them, and sometimes difficult to be...

Houses built from hemp

by gentlelifehacks | 18/06/2021 | Home and Garden, Lifestyle, Real Estate | 0 Comments

Some interesting ways of building homes over the years have included products such as Hemp. It has apparently been used globally as a natural building product for thousands of years. Recently a Western Australian couple hand built their three-bedroom home on a...

10 Simple Life Hacks to Stay Healthy and Active

by gentlelifehacks | 25/09/2024 | Health and Wellness | 0 Comments

Introduction to Healthy LivingIn today's fast-paced world, maintaining a healthy lifestyle can often feel overwhelming. However, implementing a few simple life hacks can significantly improve your well-being and help you stay active. This blog post explores effective...

10 warning signs to look out for when buying a house

by gentlelifehacks | 30/11/2021 | Handy hints, Home and Garden, Lifestyle, Real Estate, uncategorised | 0 Comments

Renovating is not always easy. Even the the tasks that look like they could be simple can turn out to me a mission to finish! Have you ever found a few cracked tiles in the kitchen and thought about replacing them? It is okay if you have spare matching tiles, but what...

A wise old donkey

by gentlelifehacks | 18/06/2021 | Lifehacks, Lifestyle, uncategorised | 0 Comments

One day a farmer's donkey fell down into a well. The animal cried piteously for hours as the farmer tried to figure out what to do. Finally he decided the animal was old, and the well needed to be covered up anyway, it just wasn't worth it to retrieve the donkey. He...

Are you a hoarder?

by gentlelifehacks | 20/01/2023 | caregiving, Coping skills, Handy hints, Home and Garden, Lifestyle | 0 Comments

Are you a hoarder? They say you should always "declutter" when selling your home? When I was selling my own home after the death of my husband, I wondered if I was a hoarder! They say that hoarding is often a coping mechanism. Apparently if we are bereaved , or...

The lonely bee hotel