{"product_id":"claytons-hand-built-bee-hotel","title":"Clayton's Hand-Built Blossom Guardian 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; 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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; } .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 400-Square-Foot Workshop in the Blue Ridge — Solid Cedar, Hand-Formed Copper\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"color:#dfe8da !important;\"\u003eClayton Dawson, 74, Brevard, North Carolina. Forty-three years refining one thing: a nesting box wild bees will actually move into. He is laying down his tools for good. This is the final production run.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"prod-story\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“It’s not about stopping work that worries me. It’s what I hear when I step outside. Twenty years ago, the apple trees were humming every morning. Now some mornings I stand out there and it’s silent.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"prod-story-by\"\u003e— Clayton Dawson, Brevard, North Carolina\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 Guardian\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"prod-inc-desc\"\u003eSolid untreated western red cedar, 8 × 7 × 8 in\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\"\u003eCopper Roof\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"prod-inc-desc\"\u003eFormed and dressed by hand, fitted, ready to weather\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\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"prod-inc-desc\"\u003eHeavy gauge, set flush into the rear panel\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\"\u003eClayton’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\"\u003eTunnels from 3\/32 to 3\/8 of an inch, graded across the face. Small carpenter bees take the fine end, mason bees the middle, leafcutters the wide end. A single hole size serves a single 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 3\/4-Inch Cedar Wall\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"prod-feat-text\"\u003eSolid untreated western red cedar on every face. No treated lumber, no plywood, no glue, no lacquer. Nineteen millimetres of it works like a thermos through a Carolina July.\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 Shield\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"prod-feat-text\"\u003eA hand-formed copper roof throws water clear of the nesting face and cuts the summer UV load on the tunnels beneath. It will not rust, will not split, and only looks better as it patinas.\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\"\u003eMirror-Finish Tunnels\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"prod-feat-text\"\u003eEvery tunnel is hand-dressed glass-smooth. A raw drilled hole leaves fibres standing, and a mason bee’s wing is thinner than cigarette paper. She will not risk it, and she will not come back.\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 thick sealed cedar panel closes every tunnel from behind, so parasitic wasps cannot drill through to the brood — 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 is set flush into the back panel. Hang it, screw it flat to a wall, or stand it free — whatever your garden gives you, as long as it cannot 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 have taken apart a lot of failed bee hotels and the failures repeat: holes drilled far too wide for the species that are actually local, tunnels shallower than four inches so the whole nest sits in the predation zone, splintered bores, treated lumber, and an open back that lets parasitic wasps walk straight in. Untreated solid timber, hand-dressed tunnels graded small, depth over four inches, and a sealed rear panel deal with every one of those. That is the specification. It is not complicated. It is just rarely done.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"prod-expert-name\" style=\"color:#a8c49e !important;\"\u003e— Dr. Ellen Marsh, invertebrate conservation ecologist\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🍅 Vegetable gardens\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"prod-tag\"\u003e🍎 Backyard fruit trees\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"prod-tag\"\u003e🌿 Native and pollinator gardens\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"prod-tag\"\u003e🏢 Courtyards and balconies\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"prod-tag\"\u003e🏫 School and community gardens\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"prod-tag\"\u003e🎁 Retirement gifts\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"prod-tag\"\u003e👶 Getting kids outside\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"prod-tag\"\u003e🐝 Mason bee keepers\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, 3\/4 inch.\u003c\/strong\u003e Not plywood, not a laminate, not treated lumber. The same timber used in boatbuilding for a century, for the same reason.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eHand-formed copper, not plastic.\u003c\/strong\u003e Plastic roofs go brittle in one southern summer. Copper outlasts the box it sits on.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eHand-dressed tunnels.\u003c\/strong\u003e Every bore is smoothed by hand before the box 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 cannot reach the brood from behind, which is where populated hotels usually fail.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDocumented occupancy since 2003.\u003c\/strong\u003e One of Clayton’s hotels has been full every season on the same south-facing orchard wall 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\u003eHang it up and see what turns up. If it is not right for any reason at all, send it back within 30 days for a full refund — no conditions, no questions, no hassle. 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 pattern of tunnels vary from box to box, and the copper will darken and patina over its first year outside. That is the material doing what it is meant to do, not a fault. \u003cstrong\u003eSiting matters more than anything else:\u003c\/strong\u003e south or south-east facing, around five feet up, morning sun and afternoon shade, fixed so it cannot swing. Once tunnels start getting capped with clay, do not move it — she navigates back to a position, not to a box.\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, 3\/4 in wall on every face\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eRoof\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eHand-formed solid copper, unsealed, develops natural patina\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eDimensions\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eApprox. 8 × 7 × 8 in (20 × 18 × 20 cm)\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eTunnel diameters\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e3\/32 in to 3\/8 in, graded across the face\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eTunnel finish\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eHand-dressed mirror finish, 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 — hang, screw flat, or free-stand\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eSuits\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eMason bees, leafcutter bees, small carpenter bees, mining bees\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eSiting\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eSouth or south-east, approx. 5 ft up, morning sun, afternoon shade\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eCare\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eLeave outside year-round. Do not bring indoors over winter.\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eMade in\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eBrevard, North Carolina — Blue Ridge Mountains, by hand since 1983\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eAvailability\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eFinal production run from Clayton’s workshop. No restock, no successor.\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003c\/table\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Handmade by Clayton Dawson","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":59181520191836,"sku":"BG-CD-BG-01","price":55.95,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0903\/4081\/9292\/files\/bt-clayton-gal-01.webp?v=1789677572","url":"https:\/\/backroad-goods.com\/products\/claytons-hand-built-bee-hotel","provider":"BACKROAD GOODS","version":"1.0","type":"link"}