This red mason bee nester has a carcass made from rice husk and bamboo and has no plastic in its construction. It comes with a massive collection of nesting tubes (63), designed for Mason Bees and Leafcutter Bees, and will provide up to potentially 360 bee cells.
The Big Bee Barrel can be fixed with a drainage pipe clamp or doubled rope against a wall fence or tree. However when fixing, it is important to minimise movement so it should not be allowed to swing in the air. Site the Big Bee Barrel to face the morning sun ideally between 1-2.5m high ensuring it is also in a location sheltered from rain.
Once bees start using the nester they will lay their eggs deep in the cardboard tubes, creating individual cells as they continue this process outwards. Later you will begin to see the ends of the cardboard tubes slowly being capped with either mud (mason bees) or small circular sections of leaf (leafcutter bees) as the bees seal off the ends off the ends of the tubes. After this stage it is important to monitor the nester and look out for potential woodpecker damage (they will peck out the ends of the tubes eating the developing grubs inside).
Later in the autumn this can be prevented by covering the front of the nester with a wire mesh (approximately 8mm grid) ensuring you leave around 3cm clearance from the tubes. In Late autumn/early winter when cold or frosty weather prevails it is best to move the nester to an outhouse or similar to protect the developing bees before returning to the garden in late winter/early spring when the risk of frost has passed. Once used, you should see occupation and use of the nester increase every year.