Room at the Inn?...

...This is a little Bee Hotel.

I'm not sure what it's really called, it's not a hive.

A friend of mine decided last year to be a bee mummy, and this is (part of) the fruit of her labour (so to speak).
It is just so sweet to watch the little bees coming and going (they're so FAST!).
They fly in, reverse out, fly in again, reverse in the tube and pop out forwards, all in a matter of seconds.

My friend (A) has worked extremely hard and everything is set up to be perfect for them, they have to face the rising sun, yet not be in any dappled sunshine (not near trees).
They seal their little tubes (most are done already) and then they winter in the garage, and have to be brought out at the right moment, when the sun is warm.
It's a complicated business, the tubes are about nine inches long and can each hold about eight or nine bees. Four hundred and sixty nine have hatched this year from these little tubes.

(And I thought looking after a dog was a commitment!).

I didn't have the tripod and it was quite difficult to get a good shot.
This one (a record shot only) shows how busy they are buzzing to and fro* :-)

I'm tempted to join in with this endeavour next year!

*As a child, I read Enid Blyton books.There was a character called Mr To and Fro.
Clearly no one ever read out loud to me (sorry Mum!)
To this day when I see 'To and Fro' written down, I still pronounce it in my head as 'Toe and Fro'.

...And don't even ask me about the pronunciations in my head for some of the characters in 'The Lord of the Rings'.
Poetic licence??