Finally, an affordable bee hotel in Paris (24 Photos)

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You may be wondering what bees need a hotel for, when they make their own hives. The truth is that many species of bees are solitary – the do not live in hives but instead construct their own nest. Bee hotels are necessary for a number of different reasons. First off, bee populations have been on a decline in recent years. Part of the problem is that their natural habitats have been cleared to make way for intensive agriculture. Pesticides have also been instrumental in their decline. It is often difficult to encourage solitary bees in urban areas because there are so few suitable nesting places for them. So, many people chose to give nature a helping hand by building their own bee hotels.

A distinct advantage for the humans who build these hotels is that the more insects they attract the greater likelihood that insect pollination of fruit and vegetables will take place on their patch. You have probably guessed how most of these hotels have been made. Wooden logs of various proportions are sawn and then holes drilled in to them a few centimeters apart. It is important that the holes are tilted – they cannot be completely straight as otherwise rain will get in.

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