My new bee house

I have just finished making the new, improved, deluxe, mark IV bee house (2023 model).  The central section is fairly conventional but also contains a solid piece of rotten wood, in the hope of attracting fork-tailed flower bees.  The side doors are recycled from my old kitchen units.  They extend in front of the rest of the house so I can put on a wire mesh to protect against woodpeckers and blue tits.

The side panels are covered by perspex so I shall be able to see the occupants.  Three are made out of dead sycamore and the fourth out of rotten dead sycamore.  It was interesting machining the wood but I hope it will have been worth it.  I have put in a mixture of 3, 4, 6 and 8mm holes to attract a variety of species.

The panel with rotten dead wood has just three short starter holes because fork-tailed flower bees apparently like to excavate their own holes.  If one does come in I hope it will stay next to the perspex so I can see what it is up to.

I have transferred canes and tubes etc, some of which contain bees, from the mark I bee house which is now retired.  (The mark II and the mark III are still in use.)

Since taking the above photos I have modified the top section with another log to make it easier for bees using that to get their bearings and I have fitted a clip-on wire cover to protect against blue tits and woodpeckers.  The bees can easily fly through the mesh and I can remove it for photos.

So it's all set to go.  I'll report back later in the spring or summer on which bees have moved into this luxury accommodation.