{"product_id":"keiths-hand-built-bee-hotel","title":"Keith's Hand-Built Hollow Keeper Bee Hotel","description":"\u003clink href=\"https:\/\/fonts.googleapis.com\/css2?family=Poppins:wght@300;400;500;600;700\u0026amp;display=swap\" rel=\"stylesheet\"\u003e\n\u003cstyle\u003e\n.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; }\n.prod-wrapper * { box-sizing: border-box !important; }\n.prod-hero { background: #33492f !important; border-radius: 14px !important; padding: 34px 30px !important; text-align: center !important; margin-bottom: 28px !important; }\n.prod-hero-icon { font-size: 34px !important; line-height: 1 !important; margin-bottom: 12px !important; }\n.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; 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border-radius: 12px !important; padding: 20px 16px !important; text-align: center !important; }\n.prod-inc-icon { font-size: 26px !important; line-height: 1 !important; margin-bottom: 8px !important; }\n.prod-inc-name { font-weight: 600 !important; font-size: 15px !important; margin-bottom: 4px !important; color: #2b2b28 !important; }\n.prod-inc-desc { font-size: 13px !important; color: #6b6b63 !important; line-height: 1.5 !important; }\n.prod-features { display: grid !important; grid-template-columns: repeat(2, 1fr) !important; gap: 16px !important; }\n.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; }\n.prod-feat:hover { transform: translateY(-3px) !important; box-shadow: 0 8px 22px rgba(43,43,40,0.10) !important; }\n.prod-feat-icon { font-size: 24px !important; line-height: 1 !important; margin-bottom: 8px !important; }\n.prod-feat-title { font-weight: 700 !important; font-size: 16px !important; color: #8a5a3b !important; margin-bottom: 6px !important; line-height: 1.4 !important; }\n.prod-feat-text { font-size: 14.5px !important; color: #4a4a44 !important; line-height: 1.6 !important; }\n.prod-expert { background: #2b3a28 !important; border-radius: 14px !important; padding: 30px 30px !important; margin: 32px 0 !important; }\n.prod-expert-label { font-size: 12px !important; font-weight: 700 !important; letter-spacing: 1.4px !important; text-transform: uppercase !important; margin-bottom: 14px !important; }\n.prod-expert-quote { font-size: 16.5px !important; font-style: italic !important; line-height: 1.75 !important; margin: 0 0 16px !important; }\n.prod-expert-name { font-size: 14px !important; font-weight: 600 !important; margin: 0 !important; }\n.prod-perfect-for { display: flex !important; flex-wrap: wrap !important; gap: 10px !important; }\n.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; }\n.prod-list { list-style: none !important; padding: 0 !important; margin: 0 !important; }\n.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; }\n.prod-list li:last-child { border-bottom: none !important; margin-bottom: 0 !important; padding-bottom: 0 !important; }\n.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; }\n.prod-list strong { color: #2b2b28 !important; font-weight: 600 !important; }\n.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; }\n.prod-guarantee-icon { font-size: 30px !important; line-height: 1 !important; margin-bottom: 10px !important; }\n.prod-guarantee h3 { font-size: 19px !important; font-weight: 700 !important; color: #33492f !important; margin: 0 0 8px !important; }\n.prod-guarantee p { font-size: 15px !important; color: #4a4a44 !important; margin: 0 !important; line-height: 1.65 !important; }\n.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; }\n.prod-note strong { color: #2b2b28 !important; }\n.prod-specs { width: 100% !important; border-collapse: collapse !important; margin-top: 8px !important; font-size: 14.5px !important; }\n.prod-specs tr { border-bottom: 1px solid #eee7db !important; }\n.prod-specs tr:last-child { border-bottom: none !important; }\n.prod-specs td { padding: 12px 8px !important; vertical-align: top !important; line-height: 1.6 !important; }\n.prod-specs td:first-child { font-weight: 600 !important; color: #33492f !important; width: 38% !important; }\n.prod-specs td:last-child { color: #4a4a44 !important; }\n@media (max-width: 600px) {\n  .prod-includes { grid-template-columns: 1fr !important; }\n  .prod-features { grid-template-columns: 1fr !important; }\n  .prod-hero { padding: 26px 20px !important; }\n  .prod-hero h2 { font-size: 22px !important; }\n  .prod-expert { padding: 24px 20px !important; }\n  .prod-specs td:first-child { width: 45% !important; }\n}\n\u003c\/style\u003e\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"prod-wrapper\"\u003e\n\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 Shed in the Adelaide Hills — Never Fumigated, Never Treated\u003c\/h2\u003e\n    \u003cp style=\"color:#dfe8da !important;\"\u003eKeith Pethick, 74, Lenswood, South Australia. Forty years a cabinetmaker. Six of them building nothing but nesting boxes for native bees — ever since the Cudlee Creek fire burnt out every hollow on his hillside. The arthritis has made the decision for him. This is the final run.\u003c\/p\u003e\n  \u003c\/div\u003e\n\n  \u003cdiv class=\"prod-story\"\u003e\n    \u003cp\u003e“The fire didn’t kill the bees. It burnt their houses down. Every hollow stem, every dead limb, every borer hole in every old redgum post out the back — gone in one afternoon. Everyone was looking at the trees. Nobody was looking at the holes in them.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n    \u003cp class=\"prod-story-by\"\u003e— Keith Pethick, Lenswood, Adelaide Hills\u003c\/p\u003e\n  \u003c\/div\u003e\n\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 × Hollow Keeper\u003c\/div\u003e\n      \u003cdiv class=\"prod-inc-desc\"\u003eSolid untreated western red cedar, 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 planks in a shallow gable, copper flashing folded over the ridge 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\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\"\u003eKeith’s own notes on where to hang it and when\u003c\/div\u003e\n    \u003c\/div\u003e\n  \u003c\/div\u003e\n\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 Never-Fumigated Build\u003c\/div\u003e\n      \u003cdiv class=\"prod-feat-text\"\u003eAlmost every bee hotel sold in Australia is imported, and imported timber is fumigated at the border. The residue is why native bees walk away from them. This one is built here, so it never sees the gas.\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 Multi-Species Array\u003c\/div\u003e\n      \u003cdiv class=\"prod-feat-text\"\u003eBores from 2.5 to 9.5 mm — every one under the 10 mm ceiling Australian cavity-nesters accept. Masked bees take the fine end, leafcutters the middle, resin bees the wide end.\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-Millimetre Cedar Wall\u003c\/div\u003e\n      \u003cdiv class=\"prod-feat-text\"\u003eSolid untreated western red cedar on every face. No treated pine, no CCA, no plywood, no glue, no lacquer. Works like a thermos through a 40-degree January afternoon.\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 thick cedar planks form a shallow gable that overhangs well past the nesting face. The one weak point is the seam where they meet — so that is where the hand-folded copper flashing goes. Water is thrown clear, the seam cannot let it in, and the copper darkens to a warm brown 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\"\u003eMirror-Finish Bores\u003c\/div\u003e\n      \u003cdiv class=\"prod-feat-text\"\u003eEvery tunnel is hand-dressed glass-smooth, then checked with turned brass rods. If a rod catches on a fibre, the bee catches too — and a native bee’s wing is thinner than cigarette paper.\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 bore from behind, so parasitoid 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  \u003c\/div\u003e\n\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 pulled apart a lot of failed bee hotels in this country and the failures repeat: bores drilled to European sizes that are far too wide for our species, tunnels under 100 mm so the whole nest sits in the predation zone, treated timber, and imported stock carrying fumigation residue that native bees simply will not go near. Untreated local timber, hand-dressed bores under 10 mm running deeper than 100 mm, 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. Hugh Marchetti, invertebrate conservation ecologist\u003c\/p\u003e\n  \u003c\/div\u003e\n\n  \u003ch3 class=\"prod-h\"\u003eSuits\u003c\/h3\u003e\n  \u003cdiv class=\"prod-perfect-for\"\u003e\n    \u003cspan class=\"prod-tag\"\u003e🍅 Vegetable patches\u003c\/span\u003e\n    \u003cspan class=\"prod-tag\"\u003e🍎 Backyard fruit trees\u003c\/span\u003e\n    \u003cspan class=\"prod-tag\"\u003e🌿 Native gardens\u003c\/span\u003e\n    \u003cspan class=\"prod-tag\"\u003e🏢 Courtyards and balconies\u003c\/span\u003e\n    \u003cspan class=\"prod-tag\"\u003e🏫 School and community gardens\u003c\/span\u003e\n    \u003cspan class=\"prod-tag\"\u003e🎁 Retirement gifts\u003c\/span\u003e\n    \u003cspan class=\"prod-tag\"\u003e👶 Getting kids outside\u003c\/span\u003e\n    \u003cspan class=\"prod-tag\"\u003e🔥 Post-fire revegetation blocks\u003c\/span\u003e\n  \u003c\/div\u003e\n\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 treated pine. The same timber used in boatbuilding for a century, for the same reason.\u003c\/li\u003e\n    \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSolid timber roof, copper at the ridge.\u003c\/strong\u003e Plastic roofs go brittle in one Australian summer. Cedar planks with a hand-folded copper flashing over the ridge seam outlast the box they sit on.\u003c\/li\u003e\n    \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eGauge-checked bores.\u003c\/strong\u003e Every tunnel is run through with a turned brass rod before the box leaves the shed. If the rod catches, the bore goes back on the bench.\u003c\/li\u003e\n    \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSealed rear panel.\u003c\/strong\u003e Parasitoid 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 1997.\u003c\/strong\u003e One of Keith’s boxes has been full every summer on the same packing-shed wall at Forest Range for twenty-nine seasons.\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003c\/ul\u003e\n\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 mucking about.\u003c\/p\u003e\n  \u003c\/div\u003e\n\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 bores vary from box to box, and the copper ridge strip will darken 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 east or north-east facing, around 1.5 m up, morning sun and afternoon shade, fixed so it cannot swing. Once bores start getting capped, do not move it — she navigates back to a position, not to a box.\n  \u003c\/div\u003e\n\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 wall on every face\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n    \u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eRoof\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eTwo solid cedar planks in a shallow gable, hand-folded copper flashing over the ridge\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n    \u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eDimensions\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e20 × 18 × 20 cm\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n    \u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eBore diameters\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e2.5 mm to 9.5 mm, graded across the face\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n    \u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eBore depth\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eApprox. 150 mm, all bores over the 100 mm minimum\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n    \u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eBore finish\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eHand-dressed mirror finish, gauge-checked with turned brass rods\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n    \u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eRear panel\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eSealed solid cedar, parasitoid-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\u003eResin bees, leafcutter bees, masked bees, reed bees\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n    \u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eSiting\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eEast or north-east, approx. 1.5 m 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\u003eLenswood, Adelaide Hills, South Australia — never fumigated, never treated\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n    \u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eAvailability\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eFinal run from Keith’s shed. No restock, no successor.\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n  \u003c\/table\u003e\n\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Handmade by Keith Pethick","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":59081296511324,"sku":"BG-KP-HK-01","price":62.95,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0903\/4081\/9292\/files\/keith-hk-v4-g1-hero.jpg?v=1790164197","url":"https:\/\/backroad-goods.com\/products\/keiths-hand-built-bee-hotel","provider":"BACKROAD GOODS","version":"1.0","type":"link"}