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Bee prepared

Build a bee hotel, and welcome these crucial critters to your meeting place or garden.
Plan a session with this activity

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You will need

  • Scissors
  • String
  • Paper drinking straws
  • Bamboo canes
  • Clean, empty plastic bottles (two litres)
  • Natural materials (for example, leaves, twigs, feathers)
  • Dead hollow stems from garden plants (optional)
What's all the buzz about?

Find out some fascinating facts about these furry insects with Woodland Trust's Nature Detectives.

  1. Give everybody a plastic bottle. Using scissors, everyone should carefully cut the top and bottom off their bottle.
  2. Everyone should loop a piece of string through their bottle, so that it can be hung up outside.
  3. Everyone should gather enough bamboo canes, stems, and straws to fill their bottle. They should check that they’re hollow, with open ends for bees to burrow in.
  4. Everyone should use the scissors and saw to cut the canes, stems, and straws so that they are the same length as their bottle. An adult must supervise people using the saw.
  5. Everyone should push their canes, stems and straws into the bottle. They should add smaller twigs and stems in the gaps, to make sure it’s tightly packed.
  6. Hang the finished bee hotel on a sunny wall, at least one metre off the ground. Make sure it’s sheltered from the rain.

Reflection

This activity allowed you to be active in your community. How do bees make the world a better place? Why do we need to look after bees? What difference do you think your bee hotel might make? How else can we help bees, or make outdoor spaces nicer for everyone?

This activity also reminded you to value the outdoors. Did you enjoy being outside to hang up your hotel? How do you feel about bees? Do you feel comfortable in nature? Do you think it’s important to look after plants and animals? What other actions can we take to look after nature?

Safety

Scissors

Supervise young people appropriately when they’re using scissors. Store all sharp objects securely, out of the reach of young people

Sharp objects

Teach young people how to use sharp objects safely. Supervise them appropriately throughout. Store all sharp objects securely, out of the reach of young people.

Make it accessible

All Scout activities should be inclusive and accessible.