big fat queens this way

As good as my word, here's a home for bumble bees.

Thanks to the lovely Linda for the idea!

Take an old plant pot and fill with dry straw, hay or leaves. Cut a short length of hose pipe and place it in the soil so that one end is under where the pot will be and the other is outside and can be used for an entrance.

Place pot over end of hose pipe and wait for bees to arrive.

The queen bees are prospecting for nest sites at the moment and it is hoped that they will find the hose pipe and crawl through to the pot which is ready to be used as a little home. Whether there is an optimum hose pipe length I am not sure. This one was around 21 cms (8 inches).

Don't place the nest site too close to potential disturbance. I've placed mine in sunny positions but with the shade of a shrub.