ellen 
My friend, Katie, made me a bee hotel out of reclaimed wood! Solitary bees are useful pollinators. You don’t have to worry about stings, they lack stingers. The most important part of house placement is that it’s either east or south facing (since these bugs are cold blooded), that you keep them out of the wet (make sure your house has an overhang or is placed in a sheltered area), and that they are high and unobstructed for entrance. These solitary bees are faithful to their nesting spots, so make sure their home is out in the same place year after year. Welcome your new gardenmates! Make your own with help from Marc Carlton at Gardens for Wildlife, with plans as simple as drilling holes in a log, to more complex designs like this one from Lise Mahnke at Dry Ideas.