The "bee house" is taking form. I'm doing an ad hoc design process with scrap wood.
The idea is to make an artificial hollow tree that the bees will love. This is not meant for humans to collect honey.
It'll have one side that has a hinge on top, so it can be checked for potential invaders before the bees take up residence. I have proprolis to smear in some of the cracks, and slow-release containers for lemongrass oil. Lemongrass oil smells like the pheromone that scout bees use to tell the hive "this is a good home for us".
Once I have the rest of it enclosed, I'll add a roof to shed water, then strap it to a tree. The location in which this one will reside has a pond, and a line of trees. With a large garden nearby, it's an ideal spot.
By the time they've filled up this bee house, I hope to have a horizontal hive, with frames, ready for them to swarm into.
I might be building another one for someone else in a week or so. It'll be different, as they have different scrap lumber. I might insulate the second one with wool.
#bees #woodworking
