Give the kids a garden project this summer - here's our
guide to building a bug hotel
School holidays are upon us, so keep the kids amused by helping them
create a stylish and useful bug house to attract beneficial insects to
your garden, including spiders, lacewings and ladybirds.
Lacewing larvae and adult ladybirds and larvae will feast on aphids,
while solitary bees may also hibernate in a bug box.
:: What you'll need
Any old wooden box or recycled wooden pallet will do - you'll need it to
stand up on its end to accommodate beneficial insects and other
wildlife. You could nail boxes together (end to end) to make bug towers,
which could be nailed on to a post or left free-standing on the ground.
Collect wood, bark, twigs, leaves, pine, larch or spruce and any other
natural materials.
You can also use old terracotta roof tiles, bricks with holes in them
and even holey old plant pots.
:: Lining the container
Use dead leaves to line the back of the box, preferably oak or beech, as
they will form the primary living area for insects.
:: Fill it up
Pack materials into the front of the box. These could be anything from
cut-off branches to segments of bamboo cane, pine cones and other solid
garden materials. Either create a visible pattern at the front of the
box or just fill it randomly, wedging it all together with dead leaves
or moss, the RSPB advises.
:: Where to put it
Bugs prefer sheltered spots, so place your new bug-friendly hotel under
hedging or close to wild areas in your garden, where there might be
nettles, brambles or other wildlife-welcoming plants that will attract
bugs into their new home. Make sure the box isn't in full sun, or
everything will dry out -including the bugs.
:: Looking after your bugs
Give the boxes a good spray regularly in summer to keep them moist and
give the wildlife a drink. Then sit back and see what creatures move in!
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