Bumblebee boxes offer the sociable and harmless garden inhabitants important nesting opportunities, which are declining sharply in residential areas. However, not every dwelling is gratefully accepted because the flying insects prove to be picky. Good advance planning is therefore important.
How should you set up a bumblebee box?
To set up a bumblebee box correctly, choose a protected, shady location away from heavily used areas, ensure that there are pollen-rich plants nearby and position the entry opening away from the weather. Prepare the box in mid-February and integrate it naturally into the garden.
Get the timing right
Since the overwintering bumblebee queens wake up early in the year and start looking for a suitable nesting place, you should make your insect hotel available for bumblebees early on. This ideally happens in mid-February.
Pay attention to the location
The insect hotel requires a protected location where constant conditions prevail. Find a shady spot under fruit trees, on balconies or on house walls. The insects like a lively play of light as long as the temperatures inside are not subject to extreme fluctuations. The nest quickly reaches 40 degrees Celsius when the intense sun shines on the home during the summer. Rain is just as problematic. Align the entry opening so that it faces away from the weather side.
What bumblebees need:
- an undisturbed area away from heavily used garden areas
- Pollen-rich traditional plants in the immediate area
- Retreats for wintering such as stone slabs and piles of dead wood
Integrating the bumblebee house into the garden
Dig a hole in the ground that corresponds to the size of the nesting box. Place the nest box in the hole up to the bottom edge of the entrance opening. Fill this with sand to improve rain drainage.
So that the bumblebees feel comfortable in the nesting box and it looks more natural, place sod, mosses, leaves and wood cuttings around the house. The entrance looks like an opening in the earth created by animals. Weigh down the box with stones so that it remains stable even in strong winds.
Interior design
Sprinkle sawdust (€75.00 on Amazon) on the floor. This absorbs the bumblebees' excretions and binds them. Pluck upholstery wool into fine pieces and distribute them loosely throughout the interior so that they do not mix with the bedding. Also make sure that the entry area is free of wool. To increase the attractiveness for an inspecting queen, you can make a small hollow just behind the entrance.
