{"product_id":"alans-hand-built-bee-hotel","title":"Alan's Hand-Built Blossom Warden Bee Hotel","description":"\u003clink href=\"https:\/\/fonts.googleapis.com\/css2?family=Poppins:wght@300;400;500;600;700\u0026amp;display=swap\" rel=\"stylesheet\"\u003e\u003cstyle\u003e .prod-wrapper { font-family: 'Poppins', -apple-system, sans-serif !important; color: #2b2b28 !important; max-width: 900px !important; margin: 0 auto !important; line-height: 1.7 !important; font-size: 16px !important; } .prod-wrapper * { box-sizing: border-box !important; } .prod-hero { background: #33492f !important; border-radius: 14px !important; padding: 34px 30px !important; text-align: center !important; margin-bottom: 28px !important; } .prod-hero-icon { font-size: 34px !important; line-height: 1 !important; margin-bottom: 12px !important; } .prod-hero h2 { font-size: 26px !important; font-weight: 700 !important; margin: 0 0 10px !important; line-height: 1.3 !important; letter-spacing: 0.2px !important; } .prod-hero p { font-size: 16px !important; margin: 0 !important; line-height: 1.65 !important; } .prod-story { background: #f0ebe1 !important; border-left: 5px solid #b06a3c !important; border-radius: 0 12px 12px 0 !important; padding: 26px 28px !important; margin-bottom: 28px !important; } .prod-story p { font-size: 18px !important; font-style: italic !important; line-height: 1.7 !important; margin: 0 0 12px !important; color: #2b2b28 !important; } .prod-story .prod-story-by { font-size: 14px !important; font-style: normal !important; font-weight: 600 !important; color: #6b6b63 !important; margin: 0 !important; } .prod-wrapper h3.prod-h { font-size: 21px !important; font-weight: 700 !important; color: #33492f !important; margin: 34px 0 16px !important; line-height: 1.35 !important; } .prod-includes { display: grid !important; grid-template-columns: repeat(4, 1fr) !important; gap: 14px !important; margin-bottom: 12px !important; } .prod-inc { background: #faf8f3 !important; border: 1px solid #e4ddd0 !important; border-radius: 12px !important; padding: 20px 16px !important; text-align: center !important; } .prod-inc-icon { font-size: 26px !important; line-height: 1 !important; margin-bottom: 8px !important; } .prod-inc-name { font-weight: 600 !important; font-size: 15px !important; margin-bottom: 4px !important; color: #2b2b28 !important; } .prod-inc-desc { font-size: 13px !important; color: #6b6b63 !important; line-height: 1.5 !important; } .prod-features { display: grid !important; grid-template-columns: repeat(2, 1fr) !important; gap: 16px !important; } .prod-feat { background: #fff !important; border: 1px solid #e4ddd0 !important; border-radius: 12px !important; padding: 22px 22px !important; transition: transform 0.18s ease, box-shadow 0.18s ease !important; } .prod-feat:hover { transform: translateY(-3px) !important; box-shadow: 0 8px 22px rgba(43,43,40,0.10) !important; } .prod-feat-icon { font-size: 24px !important; line-height: 1 !important; margin-bottom: 8px !important; } .prod-feat-title { font-weight: 700 !important; font-size: 16px !important; color: #8a5a3b !important; margin-bottom: 6px !important; line-height: 1.4 !important; } .prod-feat-text { font-size: 14.5px !important; color: #4a4a44 !important; line-height: 1.6 !important; } .prod-expert { background: #2b3a28 !important; border-radius: 14px !important; padding: 30px 30px !important; margin: 32px 0 !important; } .prod-expert-label { font-size: 12px !important; font-weight: 700 !important; letter-spacing: 1.4px !important; text-transform: uppercase !important; margin-bottom: 14px !important; } .prod-expert-quote { font-size: 16.5px !important; font-style: italic !important; line-height: 1.75 !important; margin: 0 0 16px !important; } .prod-expert-name { font-size: 14px !important; font-weight: 600 !important; margin: 0 !important; } .prod-perfect-for { display: flex !important; flex-wrap: wrap !important; gap: 10px !important; } .prod-tag { background: #f0ebe1 !important; border: 1px solid #e0d7c7 !important; border-radius: 50px !important; padding: 9px 17px !important; font-size: 14px !important; font-weight: 500 !important; color: #40403a !important; } .prod-list { list-style: none !important; padding: 0 !important; margin: 0 !important; } .prod-list li { position: relative !important; padding: 0 0 14px 32px !important; margin-bottom: 14px !important; border-bottom: 1px solid #eee7db !important; font-size: 15px !important; line-height: 1.65 !important; color: #4a4a44 !important; } .prod-list li:last-child { border-bottom: none !important; margin-bottom: 0 !important; padding-bottom: 0 !important; } .prod-list li::before { content: '\\2713' !important; position: absolute !important; left: 0 !important; top: 0 !important; color: #6e8f72 !important; font-weight: 700 !important; font-size: 17px !important; } .prod-list strong { color: #2b2b28 !important; font-weight: 600 !important; } .prod-guarantee { background: #f3f7f1 !important; border: 1px solid #cfdec9 !important; border-radius: 14px !important; padding: 28px 30px !important; text-align: center !important; margin: 32px 0 !important; } .prod-guarantee-icon { font-size: 30px !important; line-height: 1 !important; margin-bottom: 10px !important; } .prod-guarantee h3 { font-size: 19px !important; font-weight: 700 !important; color: #33492f !important; margin: 0 0 8px !important; } .prod-guarantee p { font-size: 15px !important; color: #4a4a44 !important; margin: 0 !important; line-height: 1.65 !important; } .prod-note { background: #fdf6e9 !important; border-left: 5px solid #d8a23f !important; border-radius: 0 12px 12px 0 !important; padding: 20px 24px !important; margin: 26px 0 !important; font-size: 14.5px !important; line-height: 1.65 !important; color: #4a4a44 !important; } .prod-note strong { color: #2b2b28 !important; } .prod-specs { width: 100% !important; border-collapse: collapse !important; margin-top: 8px !important; font-size: 14.5px !important; } .prod-specs tr { border-bottom: 1px solid #eee7db !important; } .prod-specs tr:last-child { border-bottom: none !important; } .prod-specs td { padding: 12px 8px !important; vertical-align: top !important; line-height: 1.6 !important; } .prod-specs td:first-child { font-weight: 600 !important; color: #33492f !important; width: 38% !important; } .prod-specs td:last-child { color: #4a4a44 !important; } @media (max-width: 600px) { .prod-includes { grid-template-columns: 1fr !important; } .prod-features { grid-template-columns: 1fr !important; } .prod-hero { padding: 26px 20px !important; } .prod-hero h2 { font-size: 22px !important; } .prod-expert { padding: 24px 20px !important; } .prod-specs td:first-child { width: 45% !important; } } \u003c\/style\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"prod-wrapper\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"prod-hero\" style=\"background:#33492f !important;\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"prod-hero-icon\"\u003e🐝\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003ch2 style=\"color:#ffffff !important;\"\u003eHand-Built in a Converted Brick Stable in Worcestershire — Solid Cedar, Hand-Folded Copper Ridge\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"color:#dfe8da !important;\"\u003eAlan Tysoe, 74, joiner, Pershore, Vale of Evesham. Forty-three years refining one thing: a nesting home Britain’s wild bees will actually move into. His right hand won’t do the fine work any more. This is the final run.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"prod-story\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“Nobody poisoned those bees. I pointed the wall. A hundred and fifty years they’d lived in that mortar, and I filled every hole in a fortnight. I’ve spent every year since giving them their homes back.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"prod-story-by\"\u003e— Alan Tysoe, Pershore, Worcestershire\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003ch3 class=\"prod-h\"\u003eWhat Arrives\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"prod-includes\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"prod-inc\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"prod-inc-icon\"\u003e🏠\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"prod-inc-name\"\u003e1 × Blossom Warden\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"prod-inc-desc\"\u003eSolid untreated Western red cedar, approx. 20 × 18 × 20 cm\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"prod-inc\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"prod-inc-icon\"\u003e🛠\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"prod-inc-name\"\u003eCedar Roof, Copper Ridge\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"prod-inc-desc\"\u003eTwo solid cedar roof boards, ridge flashed with copper folded by hand\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"prod-inc\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"prod-inc-icon\"\u003e🔗\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"prod-inc-name\"\u003eSteel Hook \u0026amp; Feet\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"prod-inc-desc\"\u003eHook set flush in the back, two feet on the base — hang, fix or stand\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"prod-inc\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"prod-inc-icon\"\u003e📝\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"prod-inc-name\"\u003eSiting Card\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"prod-inc-desc\"\u003eAlan’s own notes on where to hang it and when\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003ch3 class=\"prod-h\"\u003eSix Things That Decide Whether the Brood Gets Out\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"prod-features\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"prod-feat\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"prod-feat-icon\"\u003e📏\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"prod-feat-title\"\u003eThe Multi-Species Array\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"prod-feat-text\"\u003eOpenings graded from 2.5 mm to 9.5 mm. Yellow-faced and scissor bees take the fine end, red mason bees the middle, leafcutters and the wool carder bee the wide end. One hole size serves one species and leaves the rest homeless.\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"prod-feat\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"prod-feat-icon\"\u003e🌳\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"prod-feat-title\"\u003eThe 19 mm Cedar Wall\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"prod-feat-text\"\u003eSolid untreated Western red cedar on every face. No tanalised pine, no plywood, no glue, no varnish. Nineteen millimetres of it keeps the sealed brood dry through a wet English winter.\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"prod-feat\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"prod-feat-icon\"\u003e🪙\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"prod-feat-title\"\u003eThe Copper Ridge\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"prod-feat-text\"\u003eTwo solid cedar roof boards with a generous overhang, and a strip of copper folded by hand over the ridge — the seam where every roof starts to leak first. It won’t rust, won’t split, and only improves as it weathers.\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"prod-feat\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"prod-feat-icon\"\u003e✨\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"prod-feat-title\"\u003eThe Straw Test\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"prod-feat-text\"\u003eEvery tunnel is dressed by hand, then Alan draws a paper drinking straw through it. If the straw snags or tears, the board goes back on the bench. “If it tears a paper straw, it’ll tear a wing.”\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"prod-feat\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"prod-feat-icon\"\u003e🛡\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"prod-feat-title\"\u003eThe Fortress Back\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"prod-feat-text\"\u003eA solid cedar panel closes every tunnel from behind, so parasitic wasps can’t reach the brood from the rear — the most common way a full hotel fails in its second season.\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"prod-feat\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"prod-feat-icon\"\u003e🔗\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"prod-feat-title\"\u003eThree Ways to Site It\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"prod-feat-text\"\u003eA heavy-gauge steel hook set flush into the back panel and two square feet on the base. Hang it, screw it flat to a wall or fence, or stand it on a sill or post top — as long as it can’t swing.\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"prod-expert\" style=\"background:#2b3a28 !important;\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"prod-expert-label\" style=\"color:#a8c49e !important;\"\u003eIndependent Assessment\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"prod-expert-quote\" style=\"color:#ffffff !important;\"\u003e“I’ve recorded solitary bees in the West Midlands for over twenty years, and the failed hotels I find all fail the same way: split bamboo in random sizes, tunnels barely ten centimetres deep, rough bores, treated softwood and an open back. A red mason bee wants a smooth tunnel of around eight millimetres and fifteen centimetres deep, in untreated timber, closed at the rear and kept dry. That is the whole specification. It isn’t complicated. It’s just rarely done.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"prod-expert-name\" style=\"color:#a8c49e !important;\"\u003e— Dr. Helen Ashby, volunteer solitary bee recorder\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003ch3 class=\"prod-h\"\u003eSuits\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"prod-perfect-for\"\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"prod-tag\"\u003e🍎 Fruit trees \u0026amp; orchards\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"prod-tag\"\u003e🍓 Allotments \u0026amp; veg patches\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"prod-tag\"\u003e🌼 Cottage gardens\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"prod-tag\"\u003e🏢 Balconies \u0026amp; small yards\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"prod-tag\"\u003e🏫 School \u0026amp; community gardens\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"prod-tag\"\u003e🎁 Retirement presents\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"prod-tag\"\u003e👶 Grandchildren’s first nature project\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"prod-tag\"\u003e🐝 Red mason bee lovers\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003ch3 class=\"prod-h\"\u003eWhy It Lasts\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul class=\"prod-list\"\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eUntreated solid cedar, 19 mm.\u003c\/strong\u003e Not plywood, not a laminate, not tanalised pine. The timber boatbuilders have trusted for centuries.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eHand-folded copper at the ridge.\u003c\/strong\u003e The seam where rain gets in first is flashed in metal that won’t rust or crack.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eHand-dressed tunnels.\u003c\/strong\u003e Every bore passes the straw test before it leaves the bench. A rough tunnel is a tunnel no bee uses twice.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSealed rear panel.\u003c\/strong\u003e Parasitic wasps can’t reach the brood from behind, which is where occupied hotels usually fail.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eOccupied since 2003.\u003c\/strong\u003e One of Alan’s hotels has been full every spring on the same packing-shed wall near Pershore for twenty-three years.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"prod-guarantee\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"prod-guarantee-icon\"\u003e🤝\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e30-Day Satisfaction Guarantee\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePut it up and see who moves in. If it isn’t right for any reason, send it back within 30 days for a full refund — no conditions, no questions, no fuss. Just email info@backroad-goods.com.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"prod-note\"\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eMade by hand, so no two are identical.\u003c\/strong\u003e Grain, colour and the exact look of each board vary, and the cedar will silver and the copper darken over its first year outside. That is the material doing its job, not a fault. \u003cstrong\u003eSiting matters more than anything:\u003c\/strong\u003e south or south-east facing, about 1.5 m up, morning sun, fixed so it can’t swing. Once tunnels are capped with mud, don’t move it — she navigates back to a position, not to a box. Leave it outside all winter. \u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003ch3 class=\"prod-h\"\u003eDetails\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003ctable class=\"prod-specs\"\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eMaterial\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eSolid untreated Western red cedar, 19 mm on every face\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eRoof\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eTwo solid cedar boards with hand-folded copper ridge flashing\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eDimensions\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eApprox. 20 × 18 × 20 cm\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eOpenings\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e2.5 mm to 9.5 mm, graded; tunnels approx. 15 cm deep\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eTunnel finish\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eHand-dressed, straw-tested, no standing fibres\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eRear panel\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eSealed solid cedar, parasite-proof\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eMounting\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eFlush-set heavy-gauge steel hook plus two feet — hang, fix flat or stand\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eSuits\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eRed mason bees, leafcutter bees, wool carder bee, yellow-faced and scissor bees\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eSiting\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eSouth or south-east, approx. 1.5 m up, morning sun\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eCare\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eLeave outside year-round. Don’t bring into a shed or greenhouse over winter.\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eMade in\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003ePershore, Worcestershire — by hand since 1983\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eAvailability\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eFinal run from Alan’s workshop. No restock, no successor.\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003c\/table\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Handmade by Alan Tysoe","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":59301112643932,"sku":"BRG-BW-UK-01","price":62.95,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0903\/4081\/9292\/files\/alan-bw-g1.jpg?v=1790588801","url":"https:\/\/backroad-goods.com\/products\/alans-hand-built-bee-hotel","provider":"BACKROAD GOODS","version":"1.0","type":"link"}