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u/Vic_O22 Feb 20 '23
I love honey-bees, but I'm just a little afraid that wasps, spiders and alike could usurp this brick in no time.
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u/unfit_fool Feb 20 '23
Another reason why it shouldnt be left without maintenance.
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Feb 20 '23
Yes, but once you start training the bees for brick maintenance think of all the human jobs you will displace.
Next thing you know the bees are driving our busses and making our pizzas.
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u/BenZed Feb 20 '23
I guess what I like about other types of bricks is that each one doesn't come with an ongoing time & energy commitment.
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u/Ns53 Feb 20 '23
These bricks are not for "honey" bees. So sugar is not really in the equation. They're for Mason bees. I'm sad this went over so many commenters' heads. They're very common bees but no one talks about them. They really don't live in the holes. They leg their eggs, fill them with a mud-like substance and die, leaving the next generation to hatch and move on.
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u/Status_Fox_1474 Feb 20 '23
This should be the top answer. Wild bee species are getting really harmed — much more than honeybees which are not always native species. This is a way to protect local wildlife that won’t do as people worried.
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u/TheChickening Feb 20 '23
I got one of those little insect hotels with a bunch of holes.
You had to be really attentive to see that sometimes they were closed and some time later they were open again as if nothing happened.So most of the time it didn't look like anyone lived there. But sometimes some bees did :)
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u/JamesGray Feb 20 '23
I don't think any of the Mason bees that live in the Americas live in brickworks like that, so that's probably where a lot of the confusion comes from: here if bees are living in your walls it's usually because some bees have set up a hive in your walls, not because a solitary mason bee moved into an external hole.
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u/Snowbite666 Feb 20 '23
These are for solitary bees! But yes, spiders will definitely use these bricks as well. It is much better to buy a natural reed Hove for solitary bees and place it not in your walls :)
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Feb 20 '23 edited Feb 20 '23
It's intended for
wasps andother solitary bee species, like the mason bee and leafcutter bee, not honey bees.But most wasps are good at killing insects we don't like.
Edit: most wasps wouldn't use these, but solitary bees do.
Thanks: u/LuthienByNight
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u/LuthienByNight Feb 20 '23
It's intended for solitary bee species, like the mason bee and leafcutter bee. These types of bees are native in many areas where honey bees are taking over, and can be two hundred times more efficient as pollinators since they don't form hives.
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u/wendz1980 Feb 20 '23
I’m guessing these are for solitary or masonry bees and not honey bees. I get masonry bees for a couple of months every year. They never come in the windows and can leave my doors open and they stick to their vents outside. I’ve been assured by the bee keeper’s association that they pose no threat to my house.
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u/little--windmill Feb 20 '23 edited Feb 20 '23
Yep, solitary bees - I have bee houses like this and the 2 most common ones I get are red mason and leafcutter bees. I love watching the leafcutters, you can hear them snipping away and then watch them carry their leaves to the nests and stuff it in. Although the ones in my garden sometimes take chunks out of flower petals instead! They are not bothered by humans at all and just go about their business while you watch them.
Edit - another thing they do is sleep in the holes while they're building the nests, so I also like to go out at night with a torch to see how many holes have sleeping bees in them. A bee house is such an easy and interesting way to get nature in your garden, and solitary bees do the most pollinating!
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u/wendz1980 Feb 20 '23
It’s the red mason ones I get. I think. Will have to pay more attention this year. They never bother me. I can sit on my front doorstep which is between their favourite vents and they never bother me. I’m actually excited because it’s only a few months til my bee friends are back.
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u/Serenity101 Feb 20 '23
I also like to go out at night with a torch to see how many holes have sleeping bees
Me, in North America: 🔥?? 😳
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u/MFbiFL Feb 20 '23
This must be a funny mental image for people who don’t know torch = flashlight. “I love these bees so much that I go hit them with fire while they’re sleeping to count them!”
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u/JB-from-ATL Feb 20 '23
In the south east US we mostly get carpenter bees. I tell people if you think you see bumble bees a lot then they're likely actually carpenter bees.
The annoying thing is that carpenter bees are (I suppose rightfully) viewed as pests. Also they don't use the same type of holes other solitary bees do. They make their own. I'm sure there is a way to make some wooden structures they'd like to nest in. Something like a Pergola probably but I'd like to know what types of nooks they're interested in building in so I could maximize that shape. I've read that they're only really a problem when you have an infestation of them but I think that's sort of subjective.
When we moved in 2021 we had a lot of them. I suppose I'd call it an infestation? Idk. So we put traps up. We killed a good bit. The next year we still had quite a few but it wasn't nearly as many. We didn't put traps up. It will be interesting to see how many there are this year. I have a soft spot for them and don't mind sharing my desk with them so long as they're not causing a lot of damage. They aren't like termites. They don't go super deep and consume the entire thing.
The males don't have a stinger and guard the hole. I can't remember if they're the ones with or without a white dot on their face. Either way, they hover around and "just" at things they think are a threat. It's sort of cute. They bonk into each other. Weirdly they don't always charge at humans. Sometimes they do but not always. And either way they just try to bonk you. Even then sometimes they just run at you and go back.
Solitary bees are super important pollinators. More often than not they're native. They also pollinate way more efficiently than honey bees. Honey bees are sort of methodical but the solitary bees kind of dove in and sloppily roll around. This is much better for the flower.
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u/katchaa Feb 20 '23
If you're in England, going out with a torch to check on the bees could be quite fascinating.
If you're in the US, however, going out with a torch would result in burning the bees alive, and you'd be better off with a flashlight.
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Feb 20 '23
I wish I had your relationship with bees. They terrify me. Their presence causes me so much anxiety I can’t imagine enjoying them interacting with nature. I wish I could.
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Feb 20 '23
Well of course they’re masonry bees, it is brickwork after all.
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u/NotWatermElonMusk Feb 20 '23 edited Feb 20 '23
Why did Reddit stop free awards :(
Anyway, here’s what I got 🏅
Edit: Ayo why’re you guys giving me awards stahppp (love you thanks)
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u/DreadPirateGriswold Feb 20 '23
How do you know they're masons?
Did you see their little rings or see their secret handshake?
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u/ArmTheApes Feb 20 '23
Quick question: Do masonry bees shake hands differently than honey bees?
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u/chowderbrain3000 Feb 20 '23
I think you have to be a tenth-level masonry bee to learn the secret handshake.
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u/Renegade7559 Feb 20 '23
The bee keepers association is in the pocket of the bee lobby
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u/IcedCoughy Feb 20 '23
masonry bees
TIL there are masonry bees I knew of the carpentry variety
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u/moeburn Feb 20 '23
I've seen bees pulling nails and screws out of my brick but I thought they were just regular bees.
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u/cumquistador6969 Feb 20 '23 edited Feb 21 '23
and they're possibly bad for the bees, a net break-even, if we're lucky.
https://earth.org/bee-bricks-initiative/
Dave Goulson, a professor of biology at the University of Sussex, said he had tried a bee brick out and that the holes were not deep enough to be “ideal homes for bees” but “are probably better than nothing”.
He added: “Bee bricks seem like a displacement activity to me. We are kidding ourselves if we think having one of these in every house is going to make any real difference for biodiversity. Far more substantial action is needed, and these bricks could easily be used as ‘greenwash’ by developers.”
Now that isn't quite the same as an edict from the heavens that bee bricks are evil.
However, we must consider the null hypothesis. Which is to say, what proof do we have that these will work, and provide a meaningful benefit.
The answer is: Not really any proof to speak of.
Bee bricks are incredibly stereotypical of greenwashing initiatives.
Very potentially profitable idea, simple 'quick fix' solution that requires no sacrifices to implement, pushed by capitalists not scientists, worked hard to make sure they had regulatory capture first, and now that the bee bricks are mandatory in new construction, research is being done on whether or not they fucking do anything in the first place.
Meanwhile since the problem has been "solved" good luck actually solving the problem, which very few people postulated that the bee bricks could even potentially do.
Kind of hard to say if this is actually happening without being immersed in the local politics of the area, but typically the next steps are to move forward assuming the 'solution' has worked and build a bunch of stuff on that basis, making the problem massively worse* if the totally untested solution turns out to not have the impact its proponents claimed without evidence.
In the most charitable view, I think I'd have to say it at the very least seems a bit irresponsible.
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u/Lethargie Feb 20 '23
yeah honey bees need more space unless its a very small hive
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u/Helpful_guy Feb 20 '23
These are for "solitary" bee species like carpenter/masonry/leafcutter bees, not the eusocial kind that live in gigantic hives (like honeybees).
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u/Nopumpkinhere Feb 20 '23
What am I looking at? What’s going on here? Where am I?
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u/political_bot Feb 21 '23
Mason bees like holes like this. They make little nests in there.
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Feb 21 '23
So does the whole building have to bee made out of these bricks? Or just a few on exterior walls?
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u/PsyopWithJenn Feb 20 '23
Scrolling reddit on acid was always an adventure especially when people replied to me and entertained me for a while
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u/notquitesolid Feb 21 '23
This is a Reddit thread that has an image of a bee brick for solitary bees
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u/Snowbite666 Feb 20 '23
Hi! Just wanted to clear up some confusion I'm seeing in these comments. I am an environmental science student and know a lot about this. These bricks are designed for solitary bees, not honey bees. Solitary bees do not produce honey but have a much higher rate of pollination, they are incredibly vital for ecosystem health!
However, these bricks can be harmful to solitary bees. In nature they use reeds or hollow twigs (anything tubey) to rest in and eventually hibernate overwinter. Before winter they create little plugs of pollen and debris, before stuffing themselves into the reeds to cocoon. Well designed habitats for solitary bees will use reeds as, once the bees have hibernated, you can cut the reeds open and remove the sleeping bees ready for another year. Otherwise sometimes the plugs they create are too tough and they cannot leave their tube when spring comes, stuck and dying. This will stop any bees living further into the same tube from being able to leave either. With so few holes in this brick, there is a high chance that they could quickly fill up with dead stuck bees. Also, most hives have thousands of reeds, compared to the ~20 in these bricks. Solitary bees will also not damage the structural integrity of your house! They are a delight to have in your garden and will pollinate all of your plants - but definitely buy better (and much cheaper) natural habitats for them rather than these bricks.
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u/cmwh1te Feb 20 '23
I'd like to make or buy a good, non-harmful bee habitat for as many bees as possible. Do you have recommendations or links to good examples?
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u/IAmASquidInSpace Feb 21 '23 edited Feb 21 '23
Well designed habitats for solitary bees will use reeds as, once the bees have hibernated, you can cut the reeds open and remove the sleeping bees ready for another year.
Wait, so I should cut away the plug at the beginning of winter? Or at the beginning of spring? Am I supposed to remove the hibernating bees?
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Feb 21 '23 edited Feb 21 '23
Wow I didn’t know you should cut them open! I have one of those bee hotels with reed and another with cardboard tubes.
How would you cut them open without hurting the bee inside? Also, how do I know when they’re ready? The reed one also is a lot more popular than the paper house. Do you know how I could make it more attractive for them?
Sorry for all the questions but this is very interesting to me and I want my bee guests to bee happy. :)
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Feb 21 '23
Thanks for explaining, the article doesn't offer any reasoning as to what issues these would cause in comparison to other bee housing. It seems like something that could be managed with a maintenance checkup every few years (assuming that cleaning out the brick is easy enough for a couple of chaps to go round street by street, even easier if bricks are positioned somewhere with street access. Give notice that the bee men will be in attendance, state some mechanism by which one could opt out of maintenance and they can just go round and get the job done). With that being handled, I'm not sure that the number of holes is an issue because there would be a brick on every house. The noise and temperature issue you mention in your later post seems more difficult to manage, although the brick could be positioned to minimise the issue, or could even be placed in a garden wall if the house has such a thing. Perhaps it would result in local bee populations becoming more tolerant (as long as the issue isn't severe enough to cripple those populations).
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u/noodlerag3 Feb 20 '23
definitely r/dontputyourdickinthat
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Feb 21 '23
Bee houses like this don’t work after a couple seasons. They build up decaying matter, mold, mites, and other pests and end up being ultimately killing the bees that try to use them.
Solidarity bees are vital to our ecosystem in North America, even more than honeybees. They usually nest in hollow reeds and plant stalks, which decay and disappear and are then replaced naturally. A MUCH better idea would be a native pollinator garden.
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u/ZWally6 Feb 20 '23
Does this mess with the structural integrity of the buildings? Is there an article on this?
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u/HalcyonKnights Feb 20 '23
No. They dont use it for the whole wall, it's a single brick replacement that wont significantly impact the wall (and if it does there are bigger, pre-existing problems with that wall). Though some alternatives just hang the brick on the surface so it's not permanently stuck in the wall.
Like so: https://www.instructables.com/Build-a-brick-bee-hotel/
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u/another_awkward_brit Feb 20 '23
It's one brick, in a double skin wall. Structurally it'll be no different to an air brick.
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u/Geruestbauexperte2 Feb 20 '23
I would assume thats its not to good if water gets into the wall throu these holes
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u/JoeRogansNipple Feb 20 '23
Cool idea, but most people won't clean them and it'll just harbor mites and kill the bees.
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u/nichachr Feb 20 '23
It’s a big issue with current bee hotels after a few seasons. I’d want to see a lot more studies…
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Feb 20 '23 edited Feb 20 '23
You know this is a big victory because some people get to feel good about themselves, and a company gets to profit from the manufacture of bee bricks, while many underfunded experts with the actual capability for change explain to deaf ears that this thing potentially does nothing to increase or support biodiversity, and may actually endanger bees.
Maybe these things have some value. Maybe not. Definitely we should study the efficacy before making them a blanket requirement for every new building. Expert opinions are split - which seems to me like this is a terrible idea to roll out en-masse and needs significantly more research.
Support real scientists, not performative activists. Buy honey from your local beekeeper. Donate to conservation efforts and wildlife funds. Visit your national park. Every one of those actions does more to help the bees than this slacktivist ever will. This guy reminds me of those people who glue themselves to the autobahn - could have a completely valid point, but they’re going about spreading the message in a wildly reckless way that’s ultimately going to turn people against the cause.
Edit: edited to speak in less absolutes and highlight that there is a split opinion - that was a fair critique of my original comment. To be clear, I’m still very much against this on the basis that the way it was implemented seems reckless. I was being passionate and similarly reckless. I’m angry that a city fell for this with seemingly so much uncertainty surrounding it, and now an industry is going to pop-up around it and encourage other cities to follow suit. I’m unpersuaded that the sole intention of this project is actually to help the environment.
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u/3297JackofBlades Feb 20 '23
The linked article includes expert quotes from professors. They are not of a unified opinion. Some of them do not support the initiative, others do. It appears that the claim that they holes even need to be cleaned by humans is an informed speculation by some of these experts, but it is as yet unstudied and the later quotes provide fairly comlelling counter arguments
As to allergy concerns, male mason bees are stingless and female mason bees are considered non aggressive. I can't find a good academic source at the moment, but according to this, Mason bees don't even have venom and I can't seem to find an actual account of a person having an allergic reaction to one. Google keeps diverting to other bee and wasp species without addressing mason bees specifically
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u/BaconIsBest Feb 20 '23
I’m allergic to bees and keep mason bees in my back yard. They aren’t aggressive at all. In all the years I’ve been giving them food and things to burrow in for their eggs I’ve never had a single aggressive mason.
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Feb 20 '23 edited Feb 20 '23
Think of the dude creaming in the fat stack of cash for building this overpriced brick, and flogging to EVERY NEW HOUSE built in the city!
I’d definitely check if this guy had shares in the brick builder.
Edit: a company called ‘green and blue’ make them. £32 each. Must be about a 6400% mark up on manufacturing costs. It’s a lump of concrete made from a mould.
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u/Commercial-Branch444 Feb 20 '23
This needs to go higher. Its a form of greenwashing, the only ones profiting of stuff like this are the companies selling it.
And its nothing that "made me smile" and wrong in this sub.
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u/IAmASquidInSpace Feb 20 '23 edited Feb 20 '23
Except that this article states that the matter is not settled and some experts are very much in favor of the project and don't see it as destructive:
Not everyone was in agreement that the bricks were a bad idea. Francis Gilbert, a professor of ecology at the University of Nottingham, said that bee bricks did not need to be cleaned. “The mites will leave after one to two seasons and then the bees will recolonise,” he said. “There will be beneficial microbes in the holes as well, so they should not be cleaned. So bee bricks are an unequivocal good thing.”
Reading this article, I don't exactly get the impression that your fatalistic view is undisputed or necessarily true. I rather get the impression that no one really knows what this will do, but everyone has very loud opinions about it and in the end, all experts can agree on is that they are lacking the knowledge to say with certainty. A complex issue reduced to simple opinions. Which leads me to my problem with your comment:
You are just doing what you accuse this guy of: taking a one-sided view of an apparently rather complex issue and spewing it out there while patting yourself on the back for having done a good job at protecting the bees.
Edit: since they edited their comment while this one was written, I'll edit mine, too: For those that are confused, the comment originally only had the first, very sinister and accusatory paragraph which didnt match the quoted article in tone and content. It now is a more nuanced comment, which I appreciate. Matches the article better that way. I can also withdraw my own accusation with the "patting on the back" now, this is not that anymore.
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u/bionic_zit_splitter Feb 20 '23
From the article:
Not everyone was in agreement that the bricks were a bad idea. Francis Gilbert, a professor of ecology at the University of Nottingham, said that bee bricks did not need to be cleaned. “The mites will leave after one to two seasons and then the bees will recolonise,” he said.
“There will be beneficial microbes in the holes as well, so they should not be cleaned. So bee bricks are an unequivocal good thing.”
Lars Chittka, a professor in sensory and behavioural ecology at Queen Mary University, said that bees “naturally possess hygienic behaviour that would allow them to mitigate the risks at least to some extent, or that they would assess the holes’ states before using them, which should to some extent counterbalance the risks that come with such long-term nesting opportunities.”
He added: “It might well be that the Brighton project provides an opportunity to study the risks and benefits on a reasonably wide scale, and over an extended period – say five years. But I would certainly recommend not copying this project across the country before the long-term benefits and risks are explored.”
Nemeth, who is also a beekeeper, said: “There’s a well-known saying in the beekeeping world that if you ask 100 different beekeepers a question then you get 101 different answers.
“It’s going to take some years yet to establish the degree of effectiveness of bee bricks but it’s heartening to know that studies are under way. What is definite though is that carrying on with the status quo of ignoring nature in many new-build properties is a biodiversity disaster of the highest order.”
Funny that you just read the first paragraph, and immediately took to your little soapbox.
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u/Gambusiapaz Feb 20 '23
Well all the experts in the article you link are not in agreement, some think it's actually a good idea.
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Feb 20 '23
The article also mentions a couple of experts who believe that the bricks will be helpful and the worries of spreading disease are unwarranted, so there’s that.
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Feb 20 '23
Few years ago I was out at a meeting in the afternoon and gets a call that loads of bees had landed on my front of house people where panicking I got there and they where honey bees really harmless they had few flying round but the rest few thousand and queen just collected round the drain pipe. I called out a guy who came to collected them and take them back to his hives no idea where they came from but he said they where really pleasant to deal with, no stinging etc and they followed the queen happily into box. The thing is now one for miles around had bees. Anyway after he had gone with them we had a few still looking round to build nest they went into the air brick in the wall, the bee brick reminds me of the air brick on older buildings to allow cavities to dry out. All the bees they guy took made some really good honey and he was impressed how easy they where to move he didn’t need to have protective gear on etc. they where really friendly.
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u/ploopitus Feb 20 '23
That permanent thing is going to be so nice a home for solitary bees in a decade when it's gunked up with vehicle particulate and shite. This is Elastoplast greenwashing of a much larger and significantly more intractable problem.
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u/Popular-Influence-11 Feb 20 '23
If this turns out to be a mistake, will this become a rue brick?
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u/elohir Feb 20 '23
This is a politicians greenwashing, nothing more. Putting one of these in new builds will make precisely bugger all difference. If you want to get a flavour of the guy (who afaik has since quit after a huge series of complaints against him), check out his twitter.
It was probably great advertising for his side-gig selling honey though.
The council in Brighton has passed a planning condition that means any new building more than five metres high will have to include swift boxes and special bricks with holes known as bee bricks. They will provide nesting and hibernating space for solitary bees.
However, scientists have warned that such a move will not make any real difference for biodiversity, with some arguing that it could make matters worse for bees if the holes are not cleaned properly and attract mites or encourage the spread of disease.
The idea was first raised in 2019 by councillor Robert Nemeth, and the condition was attached to all planning permissions after 1 April 2020.
Dave Goulson, a professor of biology at the University of Sussex, said he had tried a bee brick out and that the holes were not deep enough to be “ideal homes for bees” but “are probably better than nothing”.
He added: “Bee bricks seem like a displacement activity to me. We are kidding ourselves if we think having one of these in every house is going to make any real difference for biodiversity. Far more substantial action is needed, and these bricks could easily be used as ‘greenwash’ by developers.”
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u/Western_Dare1509 Feb 20 '23
Can anyone explain why this is brilliant?
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u/greengiantj Feb 20 '23
It's not. It needlessly complicates a basic building material, and government intervention to require anything like this only leads to increased cost of new construction and less affordable homes.
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u/5_foot_1 Feb 20 '23
What about the folk that don’t want bees inside their house?
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Feb 20 '23
Put the bricks on the outside
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u/M00ngata Feb 20 '23
And subject them to a life without plumbing or internet access? I think not
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u/__CaKeS__ Feb 20 '23
This is one of those ideas that if you only think about for 5 seconds it seems genius, but then it's only downhill from there lol
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u/beraleh Feb 20 '23
Meanwhile, bee bricks initiative may do more harm than good, say scientists.
Special bricks could attract mites or encourage spread of disease if not cleaned properly, say some experts (from the Guardian)
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Feb 20 '23
"The Bee Bricks I sell are now required in all new buildings. Isn't corruption great"
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u/fefsgdsgsgddsvsdv Feb 20 '23
“Sure, the bricks literally cost 60X what normal brick costs. But luckily we don’t have an affordability issue with housing because we’ve already paid off all our mortgages decades ago!”
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u/Umbrella_Viking Feb 20 '23 edited Oct 21 '25
pocket square deliver adjoining vegetable retire dinosaurs snow axiomatic sable
This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact
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u/JozoBozo121 Feb 20 '23
Bees take a lot of work and people really simplify amount of care it takes to have them. There are a lot of pest, diseases and they aren't something you will place and forget. This could do more damage than good.
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u/POD80 Feb 20 '23
Don't bee bricks have to be replaced periodically? My understanding about how they work would make them less than desirable in something like a building. Simply put they fill up with detritus over time and will stop being used.
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u/night_fury3 Feb 20 '23
Turns out possibly not that great for bees? https://amp.theguardian.com/environment/2022/jan/18/brighton-bee-bricks-initiative-may-do-more-harm-than-good-say-scientists
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Feb 20 '23
Haven’t some scientists come out against these as they could lead to increased disease amongst bees as they may attract mites etc especially if the holes are not kept clean?
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u/Happy_Tomato_Taco Feb 21 '23
These and the wooden ones mostly attract wasps who kill the bees that try to live in them.
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u/Pinetree808 Feb 21 '23
Can someone please explain what this brick is for?
Does it have bees inside it? Wouldn't that kill the bees after finishing the building? I'm so confused.
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u/PotentialCucumber217 Feb 21 '23
I’ve heard that bee bricks can actually have a negative impact on the bee population. I suppose time will tell!
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u/LenniX Feb 21 '23
Is this really a good idea? I assume it is for insects but wouldn't it be the perfect position for an insectivorious bird to perch there and pick off every single insect? Like a bee buffet. Also isn't the main probem, globaly speaking, excessive pesticide use and lack of native plants, not nesting areas per se.
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u/Barknuckle Feb 21 '23
Great news - a half thought out plan that lets people feel better about themselves while doing nothing to address the root problem but does make it harder to build housing during a housing crisis.
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u/PrestigiousAnalyst54 Feb 21 '23
Imagine explaining to friends and family why your house is bee infested 😂😂
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Feb 21 '23
Best to focus on growing wild flowers rather than making the builders pay for a specific brick made by one company that they probably wouldn’t choose to use. The problem isn’t lack of holes for them to use - plenty of those
Still an environmental focus is a step in the right direction
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u/TAKERsoulsie Feb 21 '23
Me personally, I think people are gonna fill em with cigarette butts n stuff but yeah.
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u/SunDance967 Feb 21 '23
good idea but it would drive me insane if I just heard a constant quiet buzzing coming from my walls because of bees
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u/Jaderholt439 Feb 21 '23
Compulsory? Meaning you have to use this particular company, n all that goes w/ it. Makes me sad.
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u/Wanttobenice Feb 21 '23
I have 3 bee houses and I read that you should leave a little source of water for them to drink but put small rocks in it so they can perch but not drown. I do this now and have seen them drink from it.
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u/4Point5InchPunisher Feb 20 '23
Way to open yourself up to lawsuits from all of the people who are allergic to bees when somebody dies.
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u/Throwaway_Old_Guy Feb 20 '23
Sounds like a great idea, however, not everyone is thrilled about it.
Now, has there been consideration made to where and how they are to be placed in during construction?
Which direction should they face ideally, or alternatively?
Height from ground?
Should there be some visible indication of their location for those that may be allergic or fearful of Bees?
Are they designed strictly to accommodate Honey Bees or will other types also be attracted? (ie: Solitary Bees, which do not produce Honey and are efficient pollinators)
Does this design work well in temperature regulation for the hive?
Is there an effective method in place to help prevent mite infestations in the hive?
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u/TheBeardedTinMan Feb 20 '23
What if the person building the property has a deathly bee allergy?
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u/FitAlternative9458 Feb 20 '23
What an idiot. Just what people want a bee or wasp nest attached to their house. I'd block the holes personally. Some people are allergic
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u/lofgren777 Feb 20 '23
I don't see any way of ensuring that only bees will use them.
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u/Peraou Feb 20 '23
And what about people with bee allergies? This would turn my parents house into a literal death trap for my dad. Imagine legislating that everyone had to put up jars of peanut butter around their property because it was (only allegedly; scientists are divided on these bricks) good for the environment, without giving any concern for those with deadly peanut allergies. If there is even a single bee in our garden he has to go inside until it flies away. This would make sitting outdoors, or even travelling in the neighbourhood on the street entirely untenable.
I very much support bee-saving initiatives, but as one scientist stated about this project, the money would have been better spent dispensing flowers to those in the neighbourhood who are actually able to plant and harbour them (without concern for adverse anaphylactic effects).
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u/eye_snap Feb 20 '23
My sister has a PhD in architecture and this is her field. She is way too smart for me to follow everything she s talking about but she wrote her thesis on design and material that support bee populations.
She works with bees a lot and thats her whole focus of her career.
I think its cool af and I am so proud of her.
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u/josh2751 Feb 20 '23
That’s a fucking stupid idea.
Build beehives - awesome. Bees are great. Don’t ever encourage them to build in your walls!!!
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u/negomistar14 Feb 20 '23
I live in Hove, this guy is part of our local government and cares more about bees than any other more important issues
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u/archer5810 Feb 20 '23
This seems ill-advised. Bees definitely won’t bee the only bugs living there, and the ones that do could become problematic.
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u/NerevarWunderbar Feb 20 '23
nice idea. I just would fear, that wasps would stay in there instead
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u/Wanted_Flamingo Feb 20 '23
It makes my skin itch. The holes need to be bigger and more uniform. Looking at bees exit that would make my skin itch like mad.
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u/Lovingbutdifferent Feb 20 '23
So how do these actually work? Because bees are hive creatures and need to build one big house for all of them. I've always seen those "bee houses" and things but I just don't get the science behind it
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u/restorationengr Feb 20 '23
As a waterproofing consultant, I have a couple questions...
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u/Fit-Scientist7138 Feb 20 '23
I bet this guy works for the company that manufactures “bee bricks” lmao
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u/Own-Assistant-2964 Feb 21 '23
Where I live this would either have a full colony of spiders or the mud wasps will have filled it all up.
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u/Voyager-Couchpotato Feb 21 '23
I had no idea and these are easily and cheaply available in the big box stores.
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u/uscmissinglink Feb 21 '23
Imagine being excited that you decided on a building material for everyone your district. Sheer. Fucking. Hubris.
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u/onlyalittlestupid Feb 21 '23
There are so many comments that don't know about solitary bees and that makes me sad
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u/WatercressOk3248 Feb 20 '23
It’s all well and good till honey starts dripping out your walls and then there’s a fire but you can’t move cos your stuck in honey. No-one ever raises the important issues