L I V E 2 4 -SE V EN


HOW TO. . .BUILD A MINI BEAST HOTEL


Want to do your bit for all creatures great and especially small? Well read on for Gemma Bodé’s guide to building a bug hotel.


These days many of us like to keep our gardens very tidy, and the masonry on our houses neat, with few cracks and crevices and messy areas for our bugs to inhabit. If we all just gave them somewhere to live they would repay us well by keeping those annoying pests like aphids and slugs at bay.


So, a bug hotel is a great way of doing this in your garden and here are a few top tips on how to build one;


Choose a good spot for your bug hotel Most insects like cool, moist conditions, so a shady area next to a hedge or under a tree works well. Make sure the home has a firm base, because it will end up quite heavy. You won’t want to be moving it anytime soon so choose a spot where the insect home can remain for at least this winter.


Create the structure with pallets Layer the pallets on top of each other, five will do. Check the pallets don’t wobble; secure each to the one below (with string, wire or pull ties) if you need to.


Fill in the gaps with interesting materials There are no rules as to how you fill the empty pallets, but here are some ideas to attract different insects:


n Dead wood and bark makes a great home for wood-boring beetles, such as the Stag Beetle, and their larvae. It also supports fungi, which can break down the natural material. Centipedes and Woodlice can burrow under the bark.


n Hollow stems, canes, and holes drilled into blocks of wood are all ideal spots for Solitary Bees to lay their eggs. These Bees help pollinate flowers (so helping your plants produce vegetables) in the garden. Because Solitary Bees like sunny spots, place these on the sunniest side of the bug hotel.


n Stone and tiles provide lovely cool, moist and inviting conditions for Frogs and Newts. Place the stones and tiles lowdown, on the shadiest side of the bug hotel.


nHay and straw gives insects a good place to burrow and hibernate.


n Dry leaves provide homes for insects, just like leaf litter on a forest floor. Ladybirds hibernate in this way over winter, if you do attract them come the spring/summer they’re great for eating aphids in the garden.


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