Bee House Maintenance
For Basic Solitary Bee Houses
For Advanced Solitary Bee Houses
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After you see holes have been sealed off by the bees, wait until they emerge. You'll be able to tell if the bees have emerged because you will see that a once sealed hole has been dug out by the bees.
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After the holes have been dug out by the bees, take a dilluted bleach solution (half cup of bleach per gallon of water) and clean the holes with a pipecleaner to remove any remaining substances left by previous tenants.
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You should also change the log/block every two years or so.
See the bee house maintenance video for a visual explanation of this process.
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After you see holes in your bee house have been sealed off by the bees, wait until they emerge. You'll be able to tell if the bees have emerged because you will see that a once sealed hole has been excavated by the bees.
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Note that many bees emerge thoughout the Spring in the year following the hole sealing.
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Wait a week or two before removing the “used” tubes/reeds/stems and replace with new ones. The wait time is to ensure that all bees within the tunnel have time to emerge.
See the bee house maintenance video for a visual explanation of this process.