{"product_id":"bruces-hand-built-bee-bach","title":"Bruce's Hand-Built Bee Bach 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; 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 \u003cdiv class=\"prod-hero\" style=\"background:#33492f !important;\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"prod-hero-icon\"\u003e🐝\u003c\/div\u003e \u003ch2 style=\"color:#ffffff !important;\"\u003eHand-Built in a Timber-and-Iron Shed in Hawke’s Bay — Solid Cedar, Hand-Folded Copper Ridge\u003c\/h2\u003e \u003cp style=\"color:#dfe8da !important;\"\u003eBruce Gillespie, 74, joiner, Havelock North. Forty-two years refining one thing: a nesting home New Zealand’s solitary bees will actually move into. His right shoulder won’t hold the fine work any more. This is the final run.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003c\/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"prod-story\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e“After Gabrielle everyone was digging silt off the trees. Nobody was looking for the holes the bees lived in. The water went down in a week. The bees’ homes never came back.”\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp class=\"prod-story-by\"\u003e— Bruce Gillespie, Havelock North, Hawke’s Bay\u003c\/p\u003e \u003c\/div\u003e \u003ch3 class=\"prod-h\"\u003eWhat Arrives\u003c\/h3\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"prod-includes\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"prod-inc\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"prod-inc-icon\"\u003e🏠\u003c\/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"prod-inc-name\"\u003e1 × Bee Bach\u003c\/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"prod-inc-desc\"\u003eSolid untreated Western red cedar, approx. 20 × 18 × 20 cm\u003c\/div\u003e \u003c\/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"prod-inc\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"prod-inc-icon\"\u003e🛠\u003c\/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"prod-inc-name\"\u003eCedar Roof, Copper Ridge\u003c\/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"prod-inc-desc\"\u003eTwo solid cedar roof boards, ridge flashed with copper folded by hand\u003c\/div\u003e \u003c\/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"prod-inc\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"prod-inc-icon\"\u003e🔗\u003c\/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"prod-inc-name\"\u003eSteel Hook \u0026amp; Feet\u003c\/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"prod-inc-desc\"\u003eHook set flush in the back, two feet on the base — hang, fix or stand\u003c\/div\u003e \u003c\/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"prod-inc\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"prod-inc-icon\"\u003e📝\u003c\/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"prod-inc-name\"\u003eSiting Card\u003c\/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"prod-inc-desc\"\u003eBruce’s own notes on where to hang it and when\u003c\/div\u003e \u003c\/div\u003e \u003c\/div\u003e \u003ch3 class=\"prod-h\"\u003eSix Things That Decide Whether the Brood Gets Out\u003c\/h3\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"prod-features\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"prod-feat\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"prod-feat-icon\"\u003e📏\u003c\/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"prod-feat-title\"\u003eThe Multi-Species Array\u003c\/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"prod-feat-text\"\u003eOpenings graded from 2.5 mm to 9.5 mm. Tiny native masked bees take the fine end, leafcutters and the wool carder bee the wide end. One hole size serves one species and leaves the rest homeless.\u003c\/div\u003e \u003c\/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"prod-feat\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"prod-feat-icon\"\u003e🌳\u003c\/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"prod-feat-title\"\u003eThe 19 mm Cedar Wall\u003c\/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"prod-feat-text\"\u003eSolid untreated Western red cedar on every face. No treated pine, no plywood, no glue, no varnish. Nineteen millimetres of it keeps the sealed brood dry in winter and cool on a 30-degree January afternoon.\u003c\/div\u003e \u003c\/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"prod-feat\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"prod-feat-icon\"\u003e🪙\u003c\/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"prod-feat-title\"\u003eThe Copper Ridge\u003c\/div\u003e \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 \u003c\/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"prod-feat\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"prod-feat-icon\"\u003e✨\u003c\/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"prod-feat-title\"\u003eThe Flax Test\u003c\/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"prod-feat-text\"\u003eEvery tunnel is dressed by hand, then Bruce draws a thin, dry flax stalk from his own garden through it. If it snags, the board goes back on the bench. “If the flax catches, the wing catches.”\u003c\/div\u003e \u003c\/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"prod-feat\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"prod-feat-icon\"\u003e🛡\u003c\/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"prod-feat-title\"\u003eThe Fortress Back\u003c\/div\u003e \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 \u003c\/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"prod-feat\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"prod-feat-icon\"\u003e🔗\u003c\/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"prod-feat-title\"\u003eThree Ways to Site It\u003c\/div\u003e \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 in a nor’wester.\u003c\/div\u003e \u003c\/div\u003e \u003c\/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"prod-expert\" style=\"background:#2b3a28 !important;\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"prod-expert-label\" style=\"color:#a8c49e !important;\"\u003eIndependent Assessment\u003c\/div\u003e \u003cp class=\"prod-expert-quote\" style=\"color:#ffffff !important;\"\u003e“I’ve watched solitary bees in Hawke’s Bay gardens and orchards 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 pine and an open back. Our native masked bees want fine, smooth tunnels; the leafcutters want wider, deeper ones — 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 \u003cp class=\"prod-expert-name\" style=\"color:#a8c49e !important;\"\u003e— Dr. Anne Whitlock, amateur native bee recorder, Hastings\u003c\/p\u003e \u003c\/div\u003e \u003ch3 class=\"prod-h\"\u003eSuits\u003c\/h3\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"prod-perfect-for\"\u003e \u003cspan class=\"prod-tag\"\u003e🍎 Fruit trees \u0026amp; orchards\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"prod-tag\"\u003e🍓 Vege gardens\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"prod-tag\"\u003e🌼 Cottage \u0026amp; native gardens\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"prod-tag\"\u003e🏢 Decks \u0026amp; small sections\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👶 The grandkids’ first nature project\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"prod-tag\"\u003e🐝 Native bee lovers\u003c\/span\u003e \u003c\/div\u003e \u003ch3 class=\"prod-h\"\u003eWhy It Lasts\u003c\/h3\u003e \u003cul class=\"prod-list\"\u003e \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eUntreated solid cedar, 19 mm.\u003c\/strong\u003e Not plywood, not a laminate, not treated pine. The timber boatbuilders have trusted for generations.\u003c\/li\u003e \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 \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eHand-dressed tunnels.\u003c\/strong\u003e Every bore passes the flax test before it leaves the bench. A rough tunnel is a tunnel no bee uses twice.\u003c\/li\u003e \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 \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eOccupied since 2003.\u003c\/strong\u003e One of Bruce’s hotels has been full every spring on the same packing-shed wall near Hastings for twenty-three years — through Cyclone Gabrielle.\u003c\/li\u003e \u003c\/ul\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"prod-guarantee\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"prod-guarantee-icon\"\u003e🤝\u003c\/div\u003e \u003ch3\u003e30-Day Satisfaction Guarantee\u003c\/h3\u003e \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@craft-folk.com.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003c\/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"prod-note\"\u003e \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 north or north-east facing, about 1.5 m up, morning sun, fixed so it can’t swing. Once tunnels are sealed, don’t move it — she navigates back to a position, not to a box. Leave it outside all year. \u003c\/div\u003e \u003ch3 class=\"prod-h\"\u003eDetails\u003c\/h3\u003e \u003ctable class=\"prod-specs\"\u003e \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 \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 \u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eDimensions\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eApprox. 20 × 18 × 20 cm\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e \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 \u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eTunnel finish\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eHand-dressed, flax-tested, no standing fibres\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eRear panel\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eSealed solid cedar, parasite-proof\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e \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 \u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eSuits\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eNative masked bees, leafcutter bee, wool carder bee\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eSiting\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eNorth or north-east, approx. 1.5 m up, morning sun\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eCare\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eLeave outside year-round. Don’t bring into a garage or glasshouse over winter.\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eMade in\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eHavelock North, Hawke’s Bay — by hand since 1984\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eAvailability\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eFinal run from Bruce’s shed. No restock, no successor.\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e \u003c\/table\u003e \u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Handmade by Bruce Gillespie","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51107421716705,"sku":"DHOD9-WM567001","price":55.95,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0786\/5234\/2497\/files\/bruce-bb-g1.jpg?v=1792479226","url":"https:\/\/craft-folk.com\/products\/bruces-hand-built-bee-bach","provider":"CRAFTFOLK","version":"1.0","type":"link"}