Best bee nesting tubes
Updated: 22 October 2026
You already have a wooden bug hotel, or a pot you mean to turn into one, and the compartments still need stems. A search for the best bee nesting tubes on amazon.co.uk turns up five refill packs in this set, from about £9.39 to £22.75. Red mason bees use a hole of about 7–8 mm, and NatureScot treats at least 15 cm as the working length. The [bug hotel filling comparison](/hub/garden-supplies/bug-hotel-filling) lines the five packs up and names which job each one fits. Peter F. read these listings, with no lab test. A qualifying purchase can earn us a commission at no extra cost to you.
You already have a wooden bug hotel, or a pot you mean to turn into one, and the compartments still need stems.
You already have a wooden bug hotel, or a pot you mean to turn into one, and the compartments still need stems. A search for the best bee nesting tubes on amazon.co.uk turns up five refill packs in this set, from about £9.39 to £22.75. Red mason bees use a hole of about 7–8 mm, and NatureScot treats at least 15 cm as the working length. The bug hotel filling comparison lines the five packs up and names which job each one fits. Peter F. read these listings, with no lab test. A qualifying purchase can earn us a commission at no extra cost to you.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Stated bore | Length | Ends | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  TOYANDONA TOYANDONA 100 reed tubes, 15 cm | Inner 5–8 mm | 15 cm | Not stated | 7.8 | about £10.49 | View offer |
| Best value |  MAGICLULU MAGICLULU 100 reed tubes, 15 cm | 5–8 mm, not labelled inner | 15 cm | Not stated | 6.7 | about £9.99 | View offer |
 JACKANNA JACKANNA 200 bamboo tubes, 20 cm | Inner 6–8 mm | About 20 cm | Open both sides | 4.0 | about £22.75 | View offer |
On this page
What best can mean here
Best here means a stated hole, a useful length, and a back you can confirm or add. The Bumblebee Conservation Trust lists the usual failures as tubes that are short, too wide, open at both ends, plastic, or left without a roof. The buying guide keeps those trade-offs and does not walk every brand.
Reed refills around 15 cm
TOYANDONA, ASIN B0GTR1YSKN, is 100 natural reed tubes at about £10.49, listed at 15 cm with an inner diameter of 0.5–0.8 cm (5–8 mm). The UK text says the bees took to the new tubes straight away. A German review says about 10 of 100 tubes arrived crushed. The listing does not say whether a back is closed. Skip it if you need that confirmed. MAGICLULU, B0C3BK8QTP, is 100 natural reed tubes at about £9.99, 15 cm, listed at 5–8 mm. The bullet does not say whether that is the hole or the outside, so measure one before you pack. Two UK reviews call the tubes too small, and one says some bees have used them. A UK review says blue tits pull the tubes out, and no mesh is listed. Skip it if you need a printed inner diameter, or if birds can reach a loose bundle. POPETPOP, B0GQN4C883, is 100 natural reed tubes at about £13.99 and 15 cm. A UK review found both ends open, so this pack only works if you add a solid back. Skip it if you want a closed tube from the packet. Packing a refill is on the how to fill a bug hotel page.
The 20 cm packs
BOBOZHONG, B0GWTB83Y4, is 300 tubes at about £9.39, listed at 20 cm with an inner diameter of 3–5 mm. The title says natural reed and a bullet says wheat stalks, so you only know the material when the bag is open. Skip it if you are filling only for red mason bees at about 8 mm. JACKANNA, B0H26BGJZT, is 200 natural bamboo tubes at about £22.75, about 20 cm long, and the only bamboo pack in the set. One bullet prints an inner diameter of 6–8 mm and an outer diameter of 5–10 mm, which cannot all be true on one tube. The tubes are open on both sides, and the written reviews are from Germany. Skip it if you need a UK review, a closed node, or a diameter line that agrees with itself. Reed against bamboo is on the reed or bamboo bee tubes page.
Who should skip every pack
Skip the whole set if you do not already have a dry case with a roof. MAGICLULU's storage holder is not described, and JACKANNA ships no parts. You still need a box or a pot that keeps the ends dry. On the packs where the ends are not stated, check a stem before it goes in the box. Skip every pack if the bees you want nest in the ground. Mining bees use bare soil or a thin lawn, and a 15 cm reed does not replace that patch. If red mason bees are your only aim, leave BOBOZHONG's 3–5 mm on the shelf and start with TOYANDONA's printed inner 5–8 mm.
Common questions
Which of these packs is closest to a 7–8 mm red mason hole?
TOYANDONA prints an inner diameter of 0.5–0.8 cm (5–8 mm) on 15 cm reeds at about £10.49. That is the closest stated match to the 7–8 mm red mason size from BWARS, and to NatureScot's figure of about 8 mm. JACKANNA prints an inner 6–8 mm as well, with open ends and a conflicting outer range. MAGICLULU's 5–8 mm is not labelled inner or outer.
Is the 300-piece pack the best value?
BOBOZHONG is the cheapest by count, at about £9.39 for 300 tubes. The inner diameter is 3–5 mm, the title and a bullet disagree on reed or wheat, and the score is 3.0 from one review with no text. MAGICLULU at about £9.99 costs less than TOYANDONA at about £10.49, and its diameter is still not labelled as the hole.
Why skip a tube that is open at both ends?
The Bumblebee Conservation Trust says bees will not use nesting tubes that are open at both ends, because there is no back wall to build against. POPETPOP's UK review says those reeds are open both ends. JACKANNA's listing says the bamboo is open on both sides, with no back board in the box. Either pack still needs a solid back you add yourself. If you will not add one, leave both.
Can I trust a 4.5 from two reviews?
POPETPOP is 4.5 from 2 reviews on amazon.co.uk. Two ratings cannot settle how a pack behaves. The useful part is the UK review: about 6 mm inside, about 8 mm outside, and tubes open at both ends. TOYANDONA is 4.2 from 4 reviews, and MAGICLULU is 3.9 from 8. Read the bore, the length, and the ends before the stars.
Does any pack include the wooden hotel?
None of the five packs is a finished insect hotel. They are refill tubes. MAGICLULU names a storage holder and does not describe it, and JACKANNA lists no components. You still need a dry box or pot with a roof. Buy the case first if the shelf is empty.
What if the title says reed and the bullet says wheat?
That clash is the BOBOZHONG listing. The title says natural reed, a bullet says wheat stalks, and the colour is natural wheat yellow. The material is clear only when you open the bag. The bore is an inner 3–5 mm at 20 cm, and the listing says the stalks can be cut. Buy it when 3–5 mm is the hole you want, and check the stems on arrival.
Related pages
Sources
Public UK sources for this comparison. Prices, stars and review counts are the amazon.co.uk listings in this set. Page updated 22 October 2026.
- Bumblebee Conservation Trust: solitary bee nest boxes (retrieved 22 October 2026)
- Bumblebee Conservation Trust: solitary bees (retrieved 22 October 2026)
- Buglife: bee-hotel guide (PDF) (retrieved 22 October 2026)
- Buglife: how to be the best bee hotel manager (retrieved 22 October 2026)
- Natural History Museum: how to make a bee hotel (retrieved 22 October 2026)
- NatureScot: solitary bees and bee houses (PDF) (retrieved 22 October 2026)
- BWARS: bee hotels information sheet (PDF) (retrieved 22 October 2026)
- RHS: habitats for wild bees (retrieved 22 October 2026)