Solitary bees do not have hives or a colony, they nest in small hollow spaces alone. This is where they lay their eggs and collect pollen to provide their young with food. Red Mason bees are a type of solitary bee and in fact, they are more efficient and effective when it comes to pollinating compared to honeybees and bumblebees! However, the number of Red Mason bees are declining due to less green spaces. By creating bee houses we can help provide safe spaces for the bees to lay their eggs and continue to pollinate.

Bees are important for human survival, as they pollinate over three quarters of our crops! WWF states that one out of every three mouthfuls of our food depend on pollinators. Crops that depend on pollination are five times more valuable than those that do not.

Within this session we will be making bee houses from recycled plastic and wood fibres to provide a wood effect. The session will include creative thinking exercises where, as a group, you will design bee houses considering the challenges that bees have to face such as predators and the environment. There will be a beginner’s tutorial Autodesk Fusion 360 where we will create a basic structured bee house. You will have an opportunity to adapt and modify the design to include your ideas generated at the beginning of the workshop. Once you have your design – It will be 3D printed at PrintCity where you will be able to collect it and use in a green space of your choice!