The Bees’ Needs: Building Nest Boxes to Monitor our Native Bees  - Denver (Area 5)/NE Region Office

Thursday, 19 March 2026 @ 09:00 AM to 03:00 PM

Community Science  -  All Ages

Did you know that about a third of Colorado’s native bee species nest in cavities in wood or hollow stems? Most of these, likely over 300 species, are secondary cavity-nesters, like blue birds or chickadees, and rely on other species to excavate the cavities in which they nest. And like blue birds and chickadees, we can build nest boxes to both support and monitor them! So, if you’re interested in supporting Colorado’s native bees and are able to do a bit of wood working, we could use your help! We’re looking for 10-15 volunteers to help us drill nest holes in wood, cut bamboo, and construct native bee houses for distribution to CPW staff across the state. We’re hoping volunteers can build 6-7 nest boxes per person over the course of 4 hours. We’ll provide all the power tools and safety equipment you’ll need: saws, drills, drivers, sanders, gloves, masks, and safety glass. We’re hoping you can provide the elbow grease! To make it worth your while, we’ll have coffee and snacks during a brief presentation on our native cavity-nesting bees and their houses, and lunch will be provided. Plus, at the end of the day we’ll even let you take a bee nest box home to monitor in your own backyard, garden, or a shared community space!

Volunteers Registered: 0 (12 available)