Conservation Tales
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Build a Bee House
​Conservation Activity

 ​
A learning activity by Tom J. McConnell, Ball State University. 
Produced for Conservation Tales: Bees (2017) 
Bees are an important part of our habitat! You may have seen honeybee hives at an apple orchard or a farm, but did you know you can build a simple bee house that gives OTHER types of bees a place to nest? 

Many of the native bee species (not honeybees) nest in holes in the ground, in wood, or in plant stems. Around our homes, their nest sites often are destroyed by people. 

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You can build a bee house that helps restore nesting sites for bees like carpenter bees, leaf cutter bees, digger bees, and many others! These houses are easy to build, and can bring more pollinators to your yard. This helps flowers and vegetables in your yard and garden, so it helps in many ways!

There are many designs for homemade bee houses! Find one you like, and build a bee house at home or for your school! When you've built the house, find a good place to put it, and wait through the summer to see what happens. You'll probably find that by fall, bees are nesting. You can watch them work, too! (Yes, it's safe!! Many of the solitary bees that nest in these holes cannot sting or are not aggressive! Give them a little space, and they will not hurt you!)
Objectives:
  • I can construct a bee house to restore a habitat for bees
  • I can follow directions to build a project.
  • I can observe changes in a bee house over time.
Links to Bee House Plans

Build a Bee House - Try these sites for instructions!
  • ​​Build a mason bee house
  • Be Bee-Friendly! Build a Bee House
  • Make your own little bee house
  • ​Build a Bee House
  • ​How to Make a Bee House or Bee Hotel for your Yard
EXTENDING THE LEARNING:
After building your bee house, find a place to put the house in your yard. Ideal places might be on a post near a flower bed, or on the side of a garden shed under the eaves to shelter the house from rain. 

Then spend the next 6 months occasionally watching the bee house for signs that bees are beginning to build nests. When you do, draw pictures or take photos, and keep track of how many holes are being filled by nesting bees. You can even use links to bee identification pages to find out what kind of bees are nesting in your bee house! (Don't worry! If you are careful not to disturb the bees, they will not sting you!)

And in the winter, you need to put the bee house in a shed or garage when the temperatures drop below 15˚ F or so. Bring the nest out again the spring to let any larva hatch when the weather warms.​
​
  • Discover Life - great tool for identifying bees and more!
  • iNaturalist Seek - Free app that helps you identify your photos of bees and other living things ​

For the Teacher
Grade Level: 3-10
Class Periods: 1-2

NGSS Standards

Student Expectations
  • 3-LS4-4
  • MS-LS2-1​
  • HS-LS2-1 & 2
Disciplinary Core Ideas
  • LS2A
​Practices 
  • Developing and using models and tools
  • Analyzing and interpreting data
  • Engaging in argument from evidence ​​ 
​Croscutting Concepts
  • Patterns
  • Scale, Proportion & Quantity
  • Cause & effect
  • Stability & change
​​Connections to Nature of Science
Scientific knowledge is based on empirical evidence.

​
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  • Home
    • About the project
  • Books
    • Cerulean Warbler
    • Bats
    • Salamanders
    • Bees
    • Sea Turtles
    • Seahorses
    • Manatees
    • Elephants
    • Giraffes
    • Orangutans
    • Tigers
    • Conservation Tales Junior
  • ELearning
  • eStore
  • Meet the Team
    • Current Team
    • Asia Series Team
    • Midwest Series Team
    • Gulf Coast Series Team
    • Africa Series Team
    • CT Junior Series
    • Sponsors
    • Conservation Partners
  • Events
  • Extras
    • Photo Credits
    • Project Achievements
  • Activities
    • Turtle Detectives
    • What's Your Footprint?
    • manateeid
    • Manatee Eye in the Sky
    • BeeHouse
    • ElephantID >
      • ElephantPhotos
    • Wildlife Watch
    • Guided Reading