Pest Strategies

Bee houses give bees a protected space to live, reproduce, pollinate plants, and make honey. Learn about our top Amazon picks here.

Making a nice addition to any bee lover’s garden, bee houses can both add decor to your space and help save and maintain your local bee population. To help you select a house for your yard, Pest Strategies researched the best bee houses on Amazon. Here are our recommendations.

 

Buying Guide

To aid you as you narrow down your options, we crafted this buying guide. Learn more about the distinguishing features of bee houses below. 

• Size: The size of your bee house determines how many bees can fit in it. However, you don’t want to go too big or you risk creating an unpleasant yard with too many swarming bees.

• Setup: Bee houses hang from a tree, mount to a wall or fence, or stand alone. None of these methods take much time or effort, so you can choose one based on where you have the space for a house.

• Design: Bee houses come in a variety of designs. In addition to coming in a wide range of colors, some bee houses have an open-faced design where you can easily look in to examine your insects’ behavior. Others have a closed design, so you can only see a little ways into the carved holes. 

• Material: Most bee houses are made from wood, but there are also some made from metal or plastic. All of these materials are fairly durable, though wood has a more classic, decorative look and is more expensive.

• Filling/Versatility: Bee houses are often filled with bamboo chutes. These chutes attract non-threatening nesting bees. However, some houses, typically called insect hotels, are filled with pinecones, wood shavings, and other natural materials to attract other types of bugs. Butterflies, ladybugs, cicadas, beetles, and more may decide to take shelter or nest in an insect hotel.

 

Tips for Attracting Bees to Your Garden

Bees pollinate your plants, allowing more seeds to germinate and flowers to grow. Bee houses can be a great way to attract bees to your garden, but here are some other simple steps you can take to increase your bee population: 

• Use the right flowers: Planting flowers that are good sources of pollen and nectar for bees can go a long way in ensuring you have a steady bee population. The plants that work best may vary based on what’s native to your area, but some flowers that bees are attracted to include white wild indigo, black-eyed Susan, bee balm, echinacea, California poppy, and evening primrose. 

• Avoid pesticides: Pesticides can be toxic to bees, so avoid using them in your garden. If you have a pest problem, use repellents with natural ingredients, such as essential oils.

• Have water available: Bees need water, so if you have a bird bath, sprinkler, irrigation system, or another water source, they’re more likely to come to your garden. 

• Provide a good habitat: A perfectly manicured lawn and garden won’t be attractive to bees, as they won’t be able to find materials to construct their nests. Consider leaving small piles of dry grass or dead wood around.

• Use color: Bees are drawn to colorful flowers, especially those that are blue, yellow, purple, and white. Try planting colorful flowers in clumps so that they can easily be spotted by bees. 

 

 

FAQs

• When is the best time to put out a bee house?

The best time to put your bee house out is right when your flowers are blossoming and the frost level is low.

• Where is the best location for a bee house?

Ideally, you’ll want to set up your bee house in a location that’s exposed to lots of sunlight. Also place it at least three feet off the ground to keep ants away.

• How big should the nesting tubes be?

Nesting tubes in a bee house should be at least six inches long with a diameter of no larger than three-eighths of an inch. Longer tubes allow bees to plant more eggs.  

 

 

Pest Strategies provides reviews of select products that are top-selling on Amazon and/or popular in consumer searches. Our team evaluates the products based on industry research, consumer reviews, pricing data, and other objective criteria. Unless otherwise noted, these product reviews are intended to help inform buying decisions for non-professionals. Because pest control products can be dangerous to your family if mishandled, we always recommend consulting with an exterminator, even if just to ask for advice on how to apply pest control products yourself.