Reuse Empty Toilet Paper Rolls For The Bees In Your Yard And Garden

If there's one thing gardeners love, it's a birdhouse with no vacancy. But while our feathered friends get all of the attention, but what about bees? These pollinators work tirelessly, but they're often overlooked. Just like their avian counterparts, bees need a place to take a breather and nest, and you'd be remiss not provide them with a respite. (Your greenery will certainly notice, too.) Just accumulate a few empty toilet paper rolls and transform them into a DIY bee hotel, an easy and creative way to attract bees to your garden. 

While some bees live in colonies, solitary bee species — who are three times more effective at pollinating than honey bees — gravitate towards hollow, tube-like structures for nesting. That's where your toilet paper roll gardening hack comes in. By crafting them into a safe space for the bees, you'll provide the nesting space they're searching for, and in turn, your garden will look lush and healthy once they get to work. Additionally, this craft is inexpensive, customizable, and kid-friendly, so gardeners-in-the-making can get a better understanding of the way the environment around them operates.

The crafting part is simple and can be tailored to your style choices, which is a fun factor for your little ones. Whatever approach you take, keep your bee hotel small and manageable. To get started, grab an empty tin can, remove the lid, then find empty toilet paper rolls and small paper bags, as seen by sciencewithdee on Instagram. You'll start by cutting up and rolling the paper bags into long, thin tubes, stuffing them into the empty rolls. From there, you'll stuff the full rolls into the tin. Grab a sturdy string so you can hang your bee hotel from a branch and, voila! Pollinating guests will arrive in no time.

You can style the tin can of your bee hotel with paint or decoupage for a playful touch, but keep in mind that the cardboard inside should not be tampered with. Station it near plants that help pollinators, and if possible, have it face the morning sun because bees thrive on the warmth for energy. Remove the used material when appropriate, like during the winter, and monitor if any potential threats (larger insects) encroach on the bees' space. And with that, the hotel is available for booking.