Faye WhitleyAutumn is the ideal time to make a bug hotel so that insects have a safe place to hibernate over winter.
So why not get together with your family and friends to make your own insect home out of foraged and recycled materials, to give bugs somewhere to live?
They 'll repay you when they help control pests and even pollinate the plants in your garden. Afterall we share the same planet and they deserve somewhere safe to live too where they can shelter, lay their eggs, raise their young and seek refuge from predators.
The space doesn't have to be large and you can even co-share your bug hotel with a neighbour and spot bugs together!
You'll need: (some of the below)
- Wooden pallets
- Bricks and tiles
- Old plant pots
- Drainpipes
- Logs and twigs
- Spare rolls of turf
- Dry leaves and straw
- Bark
- Hollow plant stems
- Bamboo canes
- Straw and hay
- Bamboo canes
- Corrugated cardboard
Ready to get creative?
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Step 1
Collate your materials
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Step 2
Choose a cool, sheltered & quiet spot
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Step 3
Create a structure with a firm base
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Step 4
Fill the gaps with a variety of your foraged items and build, build, build
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Step 5 (optional)
Decorate your hotel with a sign to say it's open for business and don 't forget to scatter some wildflower Seedballs, you can 't have a hotel without breakfast nearby!
Download the full guide above for free and schedule some time in your diary to make a bug hotel!
We would love to see photos of your insect home and hear about the bugs you have recorded in your diary.
Please keep in touch with us at hello@beevive.co.uk
or tag us on Instagram @beevive_uk
