Build a bug hotel
Encourage nature’s natural helpers
Many beneficial creatures and insects spend winter fast asleep in a safe, snug hideaway, so building a bug hotel from leftover odds and ends provides the perfect location for them, as well as being an attractive feature in its own right.
You can repurpose a range of objects to make a simple insect hotel, from a small wooden drawer to a wine crate or cake tin. Fill them with a range of objects such as pine cones, hollow bamboo canes, pieces of bark or seed heads and hang them up in a safe, sheltered spot.
If you want to create a larger structure, choose a flat, stable surface and start with a base of bricks with straw in between – you could even add a hedgehog box or large tile to accommodate overwintering frogs or toads.
Build up the layers using sections of old pallets or by nailing pieces of wood together. Then fill the layers with different natural materials to attract the widest range of wildlife: ● Ladybirds, beetles and bugs like sticks, straw and dry leaves – you can secure them in place with chicken wire. ● Solitary bees will cosy up in hollow plant
stalks, bamboo canes or drilled logs. ● Beetles, centipedes and spiders prefer
pieces of wood or bark. ● Lacewings will make their winter home in rolls of corrugated cardboard. Top your hotel with a plank covered in roofing felt, gritty soil or roof tiles.