A solitary-bee hotel fails for boring reasons: wrong timber, wrong hole size, wrong exposure. The wildzy approach treats the box as a small piece of habitat rather than a garden ornament, so every choice is judged by whether a female bee can find, inspect and provision a nest. The difference is concrete: a box with 6–10 mm holes, 10–15 cm deep, in untreated hardwood will attract leafcutter and mason bees; a painted softwood block with shallow drilled holes often stays empty.
Softwood splinters and seals with resin, which can trap bees and block ventilation. Cause: cheap pine is easy to drill but unstable outdoors. Solution: use oak, beech or ash offcuts, or buy a block designed for the job. A wildzy bee block should have a rough-sawn exterior and smooth, splinter-free tunnels; sand only the entrance lip, not the inside, because a slightly textured tunnel helps the bee grip.
Hole diameter is the most common mismatch. Cause: gardeners use whatever bit is in the drill, often 4 mm or 12 mm. Solution: make a mix of 6, 8 and 10 mm holes, each 10–15 cm deep, with 2–3 cm of wood between holes. Mason bees prefer 8 mm; leafcutter bees use 6–7 mm. A 12 mm hole is too large for most garden species and invites parasites or spiders.
Cold, shaded boxes warm too slowly for brood development. Cause: hotels are fixed to north-facing fences or buried in ivy. Solution: mount at 1–2 m, facing south-east or south, and keep 30 cm of clear air in front. Morning sun dries condensation; afternoon shade prevents overheating. Fix the box firmly so it does not swing; a wobbling hotel discourages inspection.
Bees need construction material within roughly 100 m. Cause: a hotel in a tidy gravel garden has nowhere to gather mud or leaf fragments. Solution: leave a damp, bare soil patch and a small bundle of hollow stems or bramble canes. Do not use pesticide-treated timber or treated garden stakes near the box; residues can kill larvae. Replace cracked or mouldy tubes annually after emergence, not while bees are inside.
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