This handcrafted bumblebee house to encourage beneficial insects into your garden. The bamboo tubes provide the ideal nesting habitat for many of the over 200 species of solitary bee found in the UK. They lay their eggs in the tubes which are sealed in with a parcel of food made from either cut leaves or mud. The eggs change to larvae and then pupae which hatch out into new bees the following spring. The chamber with the slotted entrance provides shelter for moths and butterflies, many of which hibernate over winter. The pine cones provide the perfect shelter for ladybirds, the scourge of aphids. The mesh has been designed to permit access to native ladybirds only, and not the slightly larger, invasive Harlequin ladybirds which prey on our natural species. The section with blocks opens so that you can add leaf litter in the autumn, which acts as good overwinter habitat for another predator of aphids, the lacewing. Ideally, insect houses should be located in a South, South East or South-West facing location in a sheltered position close to, but not obscured by, vegetation. This insect house was designed in collaboration with the UK's leading insect charity - Buglife.
