Bug hotel

Bugs are nature's workforce. They are waste recyclers, soil restorers and flower pollinators. Every day, in their thousands, they are working away to keep our gardens and parks healthy and this is a chance to give our little friends a helping hand by building them a home. Making a bug hotel is a really fun activity that anyone can get involved in; from foraging for materials to planning your construction and you don't even need a big space.

Bugs love untidy, cosy spots to nestle into, located in places safely tucked away. Piles of dead wood and leaves left around the place provide valuable food and shelter.

You can use all sorts of materials, depending on what you can find. The following are useful for building your structure;

• Hollow tubes e.g. garden hose, cardboard tubes, toilet roll tubes, logs with holes drilled in, bamboo canes even plastic bottles with the end cut off - great for solitary bees and ladybirds.

• Dead wood such as twigs, sticks, bark, branches – good for beetles, woodlice and centipedes.
• Dry leaves, compost and stones – these mimic a woodland floor and are ideal for spiders, beetles and woodlice.
• Bricks with holes or old house tiles – very inviting for frogs and toads who like cool damp crevices.
• Straw and reeds – these provide a safe home for invertebrates to burrow into.
• Plant pots (plastic or terracotta).
• Flowers and plants – very attractive for butterflies and bees..
• Wooden pallets are useful for making bigger, multi-level bug hotels.

Once you have constructed your hotel, you will need to give it a name and decorate the entrance to make the bugs feel welcome! Visit your hotel regularly to undertake maintenance and log your guests. Why not download our ‘guest list’ spotters guide of bugs to keep an eye out for. Tick the box once you have spotted the bug.

We have also produced a spotters guide so that you can tick off your visitors when they check into the hotel

There is no one correct way of constructing your bug hotel but if you’re not sure, start by laying some twigs, leaves, straw etc inside one a clay pipe or flower pot . Either lay the tubes on the floor or hang them from low branches.

• Choose a location that is out of full sun so it won’t get too hot in the summer.
• Find an area of ground that is level and firm.
• Position the first wooden pallet, making sure it is level and secure, then add the next pallets on top. Secure them together with twine or cable ties.
• Now it’s time for the fun bit, filling the spaces with the materials you have to hand.
• Don’t forget to give it a name!