Saturday, September 3, 2016

Mason Bee Nesting Tray Prototype House

I made this prototype house in only a few hours.

First, I purchased a Mason Bee nesting tray from Crown Bees. The dimensions of the unit are 5.5 in wide, 6.5 in deep and 3.5 in tall. These dimensions determine the design of the house.








I purchased a 1 inch by 8 inch pine plank, Tightbond Ultimate glue, stainless steel wood screws and aluminum rood flashing. From the pine plank, I cut pieces for a box shape -- 7.5 in bottom, 6 in sides, 9 in top, and 7.5 in back.



The box was assembled, glued and screwed.





A piece of the flashing was cut, using a utility knife to fit the roof with some overlap.





Pieces of the flashing were cut to make roof tiles. They were glued and tacked to the roof.






The nesting tray fits just right.

This is just a basic unit. Now, it can be altered and designed to express your individuality, aesthetic sense and the needs of your garden space.

How will you make it your own?

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1 comment:

  1. ElaineSeptember 6, 2016 at 4:38 AM

    I'd love to read about carpenter bees and how best to provide them habitat. (Especially as we are going to deny them their nesting place in our home!)

    ReplyDelete

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