10 Best Bee Hotels UK 2024 | Noma, Wildlife World and More

There's nothing like a warm glow to guide you home, right? While we can't be sure that bees appreciate lights like humans do, there's no doubt that they make this insect hotel seem like a warm, inviting place to be! They're even shaped like cute little bees and ladybirds.

In the spirit of being friendly to the planet and its inhabitants, they're also solar-powered, and once they check in, there's plenty of different types of wood to keep them happy. It's even made from FSC-certified materials. All in all, this is a beautiful garden feature that bees, butterflies and other insects will love just as much you do.

It's surprising how difficult it is to come by hive-shaped bee hotels. This one's a rare but lovely example. Install it on a south-facing surface or post your garden and the bees it attracts will encourage pollination and support your backyard's ecosystem.

It's also fantastic for educating kids. It's designed to attract non-aggressive, solitary bees that are safe around children (such as the red mason and leafcutter bees), and you can even separate the inner trays to view the formation of eggs. Unlike many hotels, you can even open it up for cleaning. A must-buy if you have little ones.

Bees and flowers share one of the most special relationships in nature – the two would struggle to exist without each other! That's why it's so fitting that this bee hotel, which comes with a free packet of seeds, should benefit both.

Not only are you protecting bee numbers by giving them a place to rest and recuperate, but you're also planting new flowers for them to pollinate. It's rather small in size, but there's plenty of room in this hotel for several solitary bees. It even includes a metal roof to keep the rain off.

If you want your hotel to accommodate as many guests as possible, it makes sense to go big. At 40 cm tall, this is one of the largest available. There's enough space here for several bees and many other types of insects too!

There's plenty to keep visitors of all kinds busy – pine for the earwigs, cones for the ladybirds, bamboo and Schima for the bees and even a cubby-hole for butterflies. Topped off with a weather-resistant metal roof to keep everything nice and dry, your guests are sure to enjoy every minute of their stay.

There's no doubt that bee hotels are fantastic in and of themselves, but it's always nice when a garden ornament serves more than a single purpose. This one features a handy planter on its roof. Painted in a lovely blue, it's like a rooftop garden for your hotel! You even get a selection of seeds for four different plants included.

The result is a bee hotel quite unlike the rest. Once they've contented themselves with the roof garden, the bees can enjoy the perforated Schima wood before taking a snooze in the bamboo tubes. It's a true weekend getaway!

We were immediately struck by the rustic appearance of this insect hotel. While most opt for smooth (some might say 'characterless') pine, this one instead retains the corrugations of the bark used to construct it. It'd work just as well in a park or forest as it would in a back garden.

It's not only about appearances, though, as this cabin is also packed with treats for insects. There's pine wood, Schima wood, pine cones and, of course, bamboo for our fuzzy friends! Being larger, you'll need to mount it on something sturdy like a shed or fence, but if that option is available to you, this is a great way to keep the local critters happy.

While you can position most bee hotels in various raised positions to suit the layout and features of your garden, we think the long, thin shape of this one makes it perfect for hanging on a tree – you'll just need to add a rope or wire loop to its hook. 

A thinner shape means less room, but once placed up high, you'll get a great view of the bees as they come and go. And because this hotel is full of several different types of wood – including bamboo and pine – you can be sure they'll be making repeat visits!

There's something inherently adorable about the idea of a hotel for bees, and that's reflected in the shape of this cute little hanging lodge. Its rounded shape and compact size make this the perfect way to get kids interested in nature.

Its small size means it doesn't contain a huge variety of materials, but the bamboo and perforated wood should be enough to keep bees interested. Its shape is appealing enough that you can enjoy it as a garden ornament, even while the bees are away!

Bee hotels come in many different shapes and sizes. We're sure that the local bees don't have a preference, but there's no reason you can't have some fun choosing! We're fans of this barrel-shaped hotel, mainly due to its satisfyingly round shape and deep brown colour.

The bamboo canes mean that it's only appropriate for bees as other insects are excluded, though. Plus, bees don't like swaying around too much, so make sure that you are able to hang it from a branch or hook that's sunny yet sheltered. If this is possible, there's no denying that it'll make a beautiful ornament as well as a place for bees to rest and recuperate. 

As the owner of a bee hotel, it's always nice to know that you're providing shelter for the local insect life. It's even more satisfying, though, when you can say that you built this shelter with your own two hands. This 'build a bee hotel' gift set allows you to do exactly that.

The result is rather small in size, and there are only nine holes in its front, but that's more than enough to provide temporary shelter for any passing bees. Build it with another family member and it's an ornament that's sure to create memories that'll last for years to come.