New rabbits in the works and a Bee haven for you to build.

In between  building projects and continual garden care, I've been working on a few Hares

 and  a small gray pussy cat holding her Felix the cat doll.

 Part 3 of the Building Project:

 A few weeks ago, I posted about solitary bees and gave a few examples of small "bee houses".

Today, I present to you a fun project: Building a Beneficial Bug house.
 
This is a straight-forward project but I was grateful that James took over the basic building chores
because he is better with the power tools than me. That should not stop any woman from making this, if you are familiar with using tools. We used leftover rough-cut boards from our barn building.
One piece is cut with a 45 degree angle for the roof, this is the back of the bee house.

The 2 Side pieces are attached to the peaked back using wood screws.

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Equal size boards create the finished roofing.

You may be asking yourself, "Why the heck would anyone go to all this trouble to attract a bunch of bugs!!? Is she crazy?"

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Actually, it took less than 2 hours to build it and

you will soon see that I am not nuts.

 You can build this at any size you wish, that is why I did not give measurements. Ours is about 4 feet tall because it is meant to fit into a particular spot.

We added 5 shelves to our roofed "box", it is finished.

This is the fun part:  Go gathering!

We want items that will be a comfy-cozy nesting place for the GOOD Bugs. WHY? Surely they can find their own hotels without OUR help. Yes, they can... and sometimes that is   INSIDE your house. If you  have ever had a ladybug invasion, you know what I am talking about. 

The main insects I am trying to attract are the Solitary bees and those insects which feed on garden pests.

 Straw and grasses stuffed in pots and gourds will attract Lacewings and Ladybugs. Lacewings eat aphids, mealybugs, whiteflies and thrip.

Bamboo tubes and pierced 1/4" holes in logs are nesting holes for Mason bees and dozens of other Solitary Bees.

The bricks will house members of  Wasp family. Wasps have a bad reputation. I have been stung many a time; however wasps  are relatives of the bee and provide a useful service as the great hunters of the insect world. Without them we would be over-run with insects. Grasshoppers, beetles and chewing caterpillars are victims of the wasp, and that is fine by me.

 Earwigs will gather in the crevices of  pine-cones, lichens and old bark. They devour aphids as well.

I concentrated most on the nesting holes for the Mason bees, because I really want these wonderful pollinators in my gardens.

But just as importantly, to me anyway, is that this structure is aesthetically pleasing, in fact, I find it rather BEAUTIFUL

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I've already had a little critter checking out the apartments.. but it is a firefly, I think he is just being nosy.

I think some of my blogger friends may be very interested in building one of these Bee and Bug Havens.

This is all part of the grand plan. We will have the entire project pulled together and posted next week!