12/06/2026
In 2018, our lovely friend Marcus made a couple of gorgeous log hives for our off-grid tourism site Devon Dens | Award-winning, eco cabins with hot tubs in Devon. This ancient form of humans managing bees has been around for over 3000 years and allows for a hands off approach which creates an environment less prone to disease. This is less about honey extraction and more about safe, healthy shelter for these fascinating, essential pollinators.
Our two beauties have been home to many colonies of wild bees during the last 8 years but they’re starting to look a little tired. So we’ve made replacements, one from Douglas fir and one from chestnut and oak, all sourced locally. They both have water reed hackles (the fancy conical hats) for protection. In the wild, bees would naturally choose hollowed out logs at a safe height, away from predators so the hives can be either strapped into a tree or fitted onto stilt legs. The detailed bottom can be removed for peeking inside and comb extraction (we leave the comb for the bees to enjoy although we have had a little nibble!) and these will be treated with natural Tung oil for longevity.
Before they go to Devon Dens | Award-winning, eco cabins with hot tubs in Devon we’re hoping to take them to a couple of shows (updates to follow) so if you fancy seeing them up close, come along! And if the prospect of offering a home to wild bees and at the same having a stunning feature in your garden sounds appealing, comment BUZZ below and we’ll send you details.
Thanks to Matt Sommerville for inspiration for both us and Marcus
