The bee hotels in my garden are a source of great entertainment. I can spend ages watching the comings and goings of the guests, observing how they interact with each other and being amazed at the sheer hard work that goes into creating the next generation of bees.

The most common guests are red mason bees but I'm not sure that 'guest' is really the right term. These bees are home-making, they're not here today and checking out tomorrow. Whilst the males are hanging around to find a mate with which to pass on their genes, the females are busily creating a cosy home for their little ones to grow up in.

Males are the first of these spring-flying bees to emerge and this gives them chance to build their energy and strength in time for the females to emerge. To ensure this happens, mums lay their male (unfertilised) eggs at the front of the nest tubes. The females also create a smaller, hollow, cell at the very front of the tube in an attempt to prevent parasites from gaining entry. Males are slightly smaller than females and, when freshly emerged, are conspicuous with their red abdomen and large white 'moustache'. If there are spare tubes in your bee hotel, you may spot their white faces at the entrances as they take a break or shelter from the weather.

If you're lucky enough to get a good view of a female, take a closer look at her face to see if you can spot her 'horns'. These give the species the second part of their scientific name Osmia bicornis - two-horned. The horns help to spread the mud that the bees use to create their nest cells. That's right, they're not called mason bees for nothing. Consider a bamboo tube that's in your bee hotel - it's home to several developing bees. Each nest cell is created by the female bringing mud into the tube and building a linear row of chambers; each one is sealed before construction of the next one begins. In each chamber is a stash of pollen and nectar onto which an egg is laid. On average, it takes about a day to create one nest cell. Once the egg hatches, the larva will spend the next couple of months feeding before spinning a cocoon and eventually pupating, ready to emerge the following spring.

Red mason bees are rather fuzzy but the females have the addition of a 'brush' under their abdomens - lots of hairs to trap the pollen needed for the nest. This is part of the reason that one female red mason bee can do the job of 120 honey bees and, whilst they'll happily feed on your garden flowers, they're important pollinators of fruit trees and wildflowers.

If you'd like to attract these buzzing delights into your garden, there are a few things you can do. 

Offer up somewhere to nest

• Cavities should be at least 15cm long and have a diameter of 7-8mm, although having a hotel with lots of differently sized holes will hopefully attract different species of bee.
• You can use bamboo tubes or drill directly into large (untreated) blocks of wood, fence posts or masonry but you must ensure that the tunnels are smooth in order to avoid tearing the delicate wings of the bees. Avoid plastic as this isn't breathable and can encourage damp and condensation.
• Ensure that your hotel has a back wall - bees won't use a cavity that is open at both ends.
• Place your hotel in a sunny place and, ideally, between one to two metres off the ground. If possible, provide an overhang or install it somewhere sheltered (but not in shade) to prevent too much damp weather getting in.

Ensure there's plenty to eat

• From overflowing window boxes and colourful containers on small patios to blooming flower beds and blossoming fruit trees, try to pack in as many flowers as you can. Having a range of different nectar-rich flowers to attract different bees and other insects is great but you'll help the individuals if you can create areas of similar-shaped flowers so that they don't have so far to travel to get their fill.
• Leave areas of your lawn unmown to give wildflowers a chance. Really good lawns might have as many as 40 flowering species in them but even ground ivy, dandelions, hawk-bits, dead nettles, daisies and clovers will give your bees a boost. Perhaps mow different patches on a six week rotation so there's always something in flower.