Last summer we had good luck with leaf cutter bees we purchased online that come in small nesting tubes that look like straws. However in the fall birds went after the bee larva and destroyed some of the new larva that had been made by bees during the summer. So I built a new bee house with bird guard made of 1x1 inch wire mesh. The front has a door that opens in order to place new bee cocoons purchased this spring.
Made of pine with a sheet metal top, so it will hopefully hold up for several years.
. Good idea on the bird excluder.
