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Where to Put a Bug Hotel in Your Garden: South and Dry

Morning sun, a rainproof overhang and a firm fixing matter more than what is inside it. Height and aspect decide whether solitary bees use it at all.

By Zakaria 3 min read Save to Pinterest — opens Pinterest in a new tab
A small bee hotel of cut bamboo tubes and a drilled wooden block, fixed in a tree
Photo: Nennieinszweidrei, Pixabay Content License, via Pixabay
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South or south-east, waist height, dry and firmly fixed. Aspect matters more than almost anything else — solitary bees have to warm up before they can fly, and a hotel in shade is usually ignored however well it is built.

Getting the position right

This table answers the question on its own
FactorRightWrong
AspectSouth / south-eastNorth-facing
Height1–1.5 m for bee tubesOn wet ground
FixingRigid — screwed or strappedHanging and swinging
RainOverhang over the faceExposed tube entrances
WindShelteredPrevailing wind on the face
SurroundingsFlowers within sightBare paving

Rigid fixing matters more than people expect

A hotel that swings or rattles in wind is poorly used. Screw it to a wall, fence post or stake so it cannot move.

Why aspect is the deciding factor

Solitary bees are cold-blooded. They cannot fly until they have warmed up, so a nest face that catches the early sun gets occupied far sooner and far more fully than one warming only in late afternoon.

In very hot climates the advice softens — some afternoon shade stops the tubes overheating — but in temperate gardens, morning sun is the thing to optimise for.

Height, by occupant

  • Ground level: beetles, woodlice, amphibians — dead wood, bark, leaf litter
  • Low chambers: hollow stems, pine cones, loose dry material
  • 1–1.5 m: the drilled tubes for solitary bees, dry and in the sun

A large multi-chamber structure can run from ground up. A small bee hotel belongs at the top of that range.

What goes in the tubes

  • 2–10 mm internal diameter, which covers most solitary bee species
  • Sealed at the back — a tube open at both ends is not used
  • Smooth inside, cleanly cut — splinters at the entrance deter bees and damage wings
  • Hollow stems, cut bamboo, drilled hardwood blocks all work
  • Not plastic, which traps condensation
  • Nothing treated or painted

An uncleaned hotel can become a trap

Packing nests together far more densely than nature does concentrates parasitic wasps, mites and fungal spores. Replace bamboo and stem tubes every couple of years, or use removable liners you can clean over winter. This is the step that separates a useful hotel from a harmful one.

Signs it is working

Sealed tube ends — plugs of mud, chewed leaf or resin, depending on the species. Each sealed tube is a completed nest.

Expect occupation within a season or two if the position is right. If nothing has used it after two full summers, the aspect is the first thing to change.

Common questions

Where should you put a bug hotel?

Facing roughly south or south-east so it catches morning sun, at around waist to chest height, firmly fixed so it does not swing or rattle, with an overhang or roof keeping rain off the face, and sheltered from the prevailing wind. Solitary bees need warmth early in the day to become active, which is why aspect matters more than almost anything else, and a hotel in permanent shade is usually ignored however well it is built.

Which direction should a bee hotel face?

South or south-east in the northern hemisphere, so the entrance holes catch sun in the morning. Solitary bees are cold-blooded and need to warm up before they can fly, so a face that gets early sun is occupied far more readily than one that warms only in late afternoon. Avoid a north-facing wall entirely. In very hot climates the advice softens, since some afternoon shade prevents the tubes overheating.

How high should a bug hotel be?

Roughly waist to chest height for a small bee hotel, which is about 1 to 1.5 metres, and anywhere from ground level upward for a larger multi-chamber structure. The important thing is that it is well above wet ground and firmly supported. Ground-level sections suit beetles, woodlice and amphibians, while the drilled tubes that attract solitary bees belong higher up, dry and in the sun.

Do bug hotels actually work?

Well-made ones in the right position do, and solitary bees in particular occupy good tubes reliably within a season or two — you can see the sealed mud or leaf plugs that mark a filled tube. Poorly made ones achieve very little, and some do harm by concentrating bees where parasites and fungal disease spread between neighbouring tubes. Clean construction, correct placement and replacing or cleaning the tubes periodically are what separate the two.

What should a bug hotel be filled with?

For solitary bees, hollow tubes between about 2 and 10 mm internal diameter, sealed at the back, smooth inside and cut cleanly so there are no splinters at the entrance. Hollow stems, cut bamboo and drilled hardwood blocks all work. For other invertebrates, dry hollow stems, pine cones, bark and dead wood fill the lower chambers. Avoid plastic tubes, which trap condensation, and avoid anything treated or painted.

Do you need to clean a bug hotel?

Yes, and skipping it is the main way a bug hotel becomes a liability. Tubes used year after year accumulate parasitic wasps, mites and fungal spores, which build up because the occupants are packed together far more densely than in nature. Replacing bamboo and stem tubes every couple of years, or using removable liners that can be cleaned over winter, keeps a hotel useful rather than harmful.

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