You know how there are different types of birdhouses for different birds? There are owl boxes, chickadee boxes, wren boxes, and more?

Bees are different and need different homes, too. Honeybees make hives. Bumblebees make holes in soft patches of earth. Solitary bees burrow into wood forming long, tubular chambers where they lay their eggs that overwinter.

What you have here is a hotel for solitary bees -- sort of. It is more ornamental than practical right now. My main concern is with the non-wood material. As you've probably noticed, most bee hotels are made from wood and there are several different reasons for that:

Much of the bee life cycle actually happens inside the tubes (egg laying, larval stage, pupal stage, emergence as adult) -- and it happens throughout the year. The hotel should be built to accommodate the needs of the bees throughout the year. Wood provides natural insulation from heat, cold, rain, and snow. Bees (especially baby bees) are highly susceptible to temperature/humidity and small changes in their nesting environment could mean life or death. Wood has the effect of "wicking" away moisture, keeping it dry and warm (rather than damp and cold). Your design has almost none of the insulation or protection that wood provides. Bees will either refuse to nest in your design, or have their nests fail (because the bees or their eggs will freeze or get wet).
The "drying" effect that wood has (wicking away moisture) also prevents fungus/rot in the tubes (preventing forming bees from fungal diseases).
By being made of wood, mother bees can "excavate" some of the surrounding wood and turn it into nesting material (which insulates the eggs).
Long tubes (at least 8" deep) prevents bee hotels from being a "bird buffet." Woodpeckers and other long-beaked birds will make quick work of insects not buried deeply enough into their chambers.

It's a good idea, but do some research about bees and their needs. You certainly don't want to be printing out bee death traps. I really think wood is the way to go when it comes to homes for solitary bees. I wonder if there is anything else you can make from plastic that can help bees (e.g. educational toys) rather than reinventing the wheel with an inferior material (I assume the bee home is made from petrol-based plastic). Good luck!

A small printed house for solitary bees

A small printed house for solitary bees

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