Mason Bee House / Pollinator Hotel
A small wooden box filled with hollow tubes that invites gentle, solitary mason bees to nest and pollinate your garden. This is not a honeybee hive — these are solitary bees that rarely sting.
Estimated time
30 – 45 minutes
Lifespan
3–5 years (tubes should be replaced each season)
Soil needed
None — mounted structure
Weight empty
2–4 lbs
Weight full
Negligible
Best for
Attracting native mason bees, leafcutter bees, and solitary pollinators
Placement
Mount on a south- or southeast-facing wall or fence, 5–7 ft high, with morning sun. Place within 300 ft of flowering plants. Keep bare, damp soil nearby so mason bees can cap their tubes with mud.
Boards to Buy
| Boards to Buy | Quantity | What You Use Them For |
|---|---|---|
| 1×6 cedar or pine board, 2 ft | 1 | Back and roof |
| Untreated wood block to drill, or paper / cardboard tubes | 30–50 tubes or holes | Nesting tunnels |
| 5/16-inch drill bit | 1 | If drilling a wood block |
| Wood screws, 1.5 inch | 4 | Mount to wall |
- ·Optional: scrap wood for side walls
- ·Optional: exterior wood sealant (outside only — never inside the holes)
- ·Optional: 1/2-inch hardware cloth spaced in front of tubes to keep birds from pulling larvae
Steps
- 1Cut a back board about 6×8 inches and a roof board about 7×6 inches.
- 2If using drilled holes, make them 5/16 inch in diameter and 5–6 inches deep. Do not drill all the way through — every tunnel needs a closed back.
- 3If using bamboo, cut behind the node so the tunnel is open to a closed back.
- 4If using paper or cardboard tubes, bundle them tightly and tape the back ends together so they stay put.
- 5Attach side walls if desired, leaving the front open.
- 6Screw the roof on with a slight overhang to shed rain.
- 7Mount the house 5–7 ft high on a wall or fence facing morning sun.
- 8Place within 300 ft of fruit trees, berries, or flowering vegetables.
- 9Keep a patch of bare, damp soil nearby — mason bees need mud to cap their tubes.
- 10Replace tubes each year to keep parasites and mites from building up.
Tools needed
- ·Drill with 5/16-inch bit
- ·Saw
- ·Sandpaper
- ·Screwdriver
Common mistakes to avoid
- ·Using bamboo with nodes still inside — bees cannot reach the back; cut behind the node so the tunnel is open to a closed back
- ·Mounting in full shade or where rain drips into the tubes
- ·Forgetting to replace paper tubes each year — pests build up
- ·Drilling holes too large or too deep
- ·Plastic straws — bees can't manage humidity, so mold and mites take over
- ·Open-through holes that get used from both ends and fail
- ·Paint or sealer inside the holes
- ·A "pollinator hotel" packed with random pinecones and drilled logs becomes a pest motel — keep this page clean, replaceable tubes
Maintenance tips
Replace paper tubes each spring. In late fall, move occupied tubes to a cool, dry garage or shed for winter, then put fresh tubes out in early spring.
Community builds
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