Turn Old Terracotta Pots Into An Adorable Home For Your Backyard Bees

Let's face it: Most of us have some old terracotta pots laying around collecting dust in some forgotten corner of the garage. They may be chipped, cracked, or broken into pieces but, believe it or not, they can still be put to use in your yard. See, if you're someone who wants to make your yard attractive to bees, you can turn your old terracotta pots into adorable homes for your backyard buzzers.

The design of a terracotta pot is going to be your ally here. Regardless of the shape — and some terracotta pots can be rather bulbous — nearly all are going to have a small drainage hole in the bottom that is a perfect entry for bees. Inside, you can fill the pots with all manner of nesting materials so they will feel right at home among the flora of your backyard.

According to the Xerxes Society for Invertebrate Conservation, 70% of all native bees are burrowing ground nesters, while the remaining 30% nest in cavities. For example, one of the main differences between bumblebees and carpenter bees is that the former make their nests underground, while the latter like to make nests in your decking. You can use a terracotta pot to create both types of houses, though you're likely going to attract mostly burrowing types as they make up the majority of the population. The terracotta pot will act as a perfect base from which you can construct a new home for your pollinating friends.

As with any real estate, the first step in building your terracotta pot bee house is location, location, location! Choose a space that is going to mimic where the bees would naturally want to build their nests. It should be a sheltered spot that gets a good amount of sun throughout the day. At the base of a tree would work, or hidden among the pollinator friendly plants you have scattered throughout your yard.

Once your spot is chosen, use a garden trowel to dig a shallow hole that will cover about half of the terracotta pot. Fill the pot with moss, grass, straw, or twigs before sticking it in the ground so that the small drainage hole at the bottom faces out. Mound the dirt over the pot so just the little porthole is visible. You can then dress this up however you like, either with more moss and grasses, decorative tiles, or chunks of other broken terracotta pots.

Then all you have to do is wait and the bees will begin finding their way to your makeshift nesting cave. This is an absolutely genius way to repurpose old nursery pots to bring beneficial pollinators buzzing into your yard. Both your yard and the surrounding ecosystem will benefit from you creating a home for your native bee population.