thetyreman
Established Member
my favourite simulator so far is goat simulator, lots of fun and laughs, it's mental.
@Jameshow Elite was exciting compared to horace goes skiing
What wood and finish did you use for this?
Chuckie Egg! Now there's a blast from the past. What level did you get to?Chuckie Egg or Daredevil Dennis over Elite any day!
Last of the Christmas presents finished (well except I will be putting a 'tin' roof on this before it goes outside). This is a Mason Bee hotel for my wife. Apart from the slots in the drawers, which were cut on my milling machine, everything was done with hand tools including dimensioning the timber. It has been physically very demanding . The block in the top is 140mm x 70mm x 170mm and the holes are 160mm deep, drilled with a brace and bit. That took me five hours!!!! My arms are now useless. I'm very pleased with the final result. A few obvious mistakes and flaws but heck it's going to hang on a wall in the garden.
View attachment 98640View attachment 98641
The two drawers have clear tubes so that you can see the bee larvae. The top block has paper tubes lining the holes so they can be replaced each year to prevent pests. The roof space is for bits of reed, grass and other hollow vegetation to offer a home for some of the other solitary bee types that favour different sized holes. The roof overhang is 2 inches (50mm) to keep the tube openings dry.
When winter sets in the drawers are taken out and put in a cardboard box in an un-heated shed. Once the bees break out of the tubes they find their way out of the box and are on their way. Then the tubes get replaced or cleaned and the drawers go back into the hotel for another season.
I have to say I'm quite looking forward to seeing if we get any tenants.
Hi Paul I really like that, looks simple until you examine it a bit closer, a lot of work in that. Instead of spoiling it with a bit of tin, the last thing I made even remotely like it for outside, I used proper grey slates stuck on with black building adhesive (Think black, no nails or pink stuff) . It worked really well, and you could have the slates just overhanging slightly. IanLast of the Christmas presents finished (well except I will be putting a 'tin' roof on this before it goes outside). This is a Mason Bee hotel for my wife. Apart from the slots in the drawers, which were cut on my milling machine, everything was done with hand tools including dimensioning the timber. It has been physically very demanding . The block in the top is 140mm x 70mm x 170mm and the holes are 160mm deep, drilled with a brace and bit. That took me five hours!!!! My arms are now useless. I'm very pleased with the final result. A few obvious mistakes and flaws but heck it's going to hang on a wall in the garden.
View attachment 98640View attachment 98641
The two drawers have clear tubes so that you can see the bee larvae. The top block has paper tubes lining the holes so they can be replaced each year to prevent pests. The roof space is for bits of reed, grass and other hollow vegetation to offer a home for some of the other solitary bee types that favour different sized holes. The roof overhang is 2 inches (50mm) to keep the tube openings dry.
When winter sets in the drawers are taken out and put in a cardboard box in an un-heated shed. Once the bees break out of the tubes they find their way out of the box and are on their way. Then the tubes get replaced or cleaned and the drawers go back into the hotel for another season.
I have to say I'm quite looking forward to seeing if we get any tenants.
That’s a great suggestion!Hi Paul I really like that, looks simple until you examine it a bit closer, a lot of work in that. Instead of spoiling it with a bit of tin, the last thing I made even remotely like it for outside, I used proper grey slates stuck on with black building adhesive (Think black, no nails or pink stuff) . It worked really well, and you could have the slates just overhanging slightly. Ian
Last of the Christmas presents finished (well except I will be putting a 'tin' roof on this before it goes outside). This is a Mason Bee hotel for my wife. Apart from the slots in the drawers, which were cut on my milling machine, everything was done with hand tools including dimensioning the timber. It has been physically very demanding . The block in the top is 140mm x 70mm x 170mm and the holes are 160mm deep, drilled with a brace and bit. That took me five hours!!!! My arms are now useless. I'm very pleased with the final result. A few obvious mistakes and flaws but heck it's going to hang on a wall in the garden.
View attachment 98640View attachment 98641
The two drawers have clear tubes so that you can see the bee larvae. The top block has paper tubes lining the holes so they can be replaced each year to prevent pests. The roof space is for bits of reed, grass and other hollow vegetation to offer a home for some of the other solitary bee types that favour different sized holes. The roof overhang is 2 inches (50mm) to keep the tube openings dry.
When winter sets in the drawers are taken out and put in a cardboard box in an un-heated shed. Once the bees break out of the tubes they find their way out of the box and are on their way. Then the tubes get replaced or cleaned and the drawers go back into the hotel for another season.
I have to say I'm quite looking forward to seeing if we get any tenants.
Really lovely! A few questions if I may...
What wood is the upper section made from?
Are you using test tubes or similar in the lower section?
Where did you source the cardboard liners for the upper section?
I've been a beekeeper for 30+ years and our gardens are highly bee friendly and added-chemical free. We have a large number of types of bumble bee, include Ng mason bees - they are a joy to watch.
I wish you luck in attracting them!
One of my honey bee (ApIs melifera melifera) queens this summer:
View attachment 98739
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