The following companies sell bee houses that have deep (approximately 6″ / 152 mm) nesting holes, have disposable or cleanable components, have protective roof overhangs (usually), and are not suspended by a string. If I’ve missed somebody, send me a note and I’ll update this post.
Houses with replaceable nesting tubes, reeds, or blocks
- Bee Foster
- Bee With Me
- Buzz Heroes
- CJ Wildlife (UK)
- Crown Bees
- Forest Flower Shop
- Hive and Garden
- Kinsmen
- Knox Cellars
- MasonbeesUK (UK)
- Mason Bee Central
- Osmia Bee Company
- Park Seed
- Pollen Bee Nest
- Potting Shed Creations
- Prairie Moon Nursery
- Rock Pond Nursery
- Welliver Outdoors
Houses with stackable, cleanable nesting trays
- Beediverse
- Crown Bees
- Good Riddance Farm
- Healing Farm
- Mason Bee Central
- One Green World
- Osmia Bee Company
- Territorial Seed Company
- Two Bees Apiary
Houses with observation windows
There is no perfect house, so do a little research with local bee experts to see what might be best for your area. Also, no single house is going to attract all types of bees. Figure out what type of bee you want and then find a house that suits it. Personally, I’m a fan of having several, smaller houses so that I can situate them in different parts of the yard. I also like to think that this separation reduces the ability of parasitic wasps to lay eggs in the tunnels. I.e., if you have a hotel with hundreds of holes, that makes it very easy for parasitic wasps to go hole to hole.
I don’t see the need to buy the bees themselves. In fact, sending animals in the mail can result in their deaths when postal trucks heat up. More broadly, sending bees from one area to another might mess with local adaption (i.e., bees from one area might not have evolved to do well everywhere) and also introduce hidden pests and diseases. If you put out a good house, in a good location, and have mud and native plants … the local bees will find you.
Here’s a guide to avoiding low-quality bee houses that are for sale at most garden centers. If you’re handy, you can also make your own (it’s fun).