Bee hotels are popular garden features for many, but accurate information on how effective they are as bee safe-havens, or identification materials for residents, are difficult to find online. This need was answered by urban ecologist Elsa Youngsteadt and entomologist Meredith Favre, who have now published the ultimate guide to bee hotel construction, management, and residents.

“Bee hotels can be a great way to appreciate your insect neighbors,” says Youngsteadt. “In some ways there’s lots of room to tinker with bee hotels, but there are also certain research-based guidelines every bee hotelier should know so they don’t accidentally set up dangerous or undesirable housing. We hope our guide will help everyone know where to experiment and where to toe the line.”

The guide is available as a web resource and PDF. 

You can also watch this detailed tutorial on how to build a bee hotel with Library’s MakerSpace team:

Happy hoteling!