Bug hotels add to your yard’s biodiversity
Backyard insect hotels and native bee habitats will, in Canada, be as common as bird feeders in 20 years. I make that bold prediction in my newest book, The New Canadian Garden. Say . . . what? The idea of attracting “beneficials” to your yard and garden is an idea that caught on in Great Britain a generation ago.
Here, we are only beginning to get into it. Truth is, this can be a lot of fun — kids love it, too.
Consider this novel idea for Christmas presents. Last year, I made eight insect hotels for friends and family. Some seemed genuinely pleased to contribute toward a more healthy level of biodiversity in their community. Others gave me a look of utter astonishment, as if to say, “OK, now what do I do with this?”
There are no rules for building insect hotels. Here are some general guidelines that will help get you on your way:
1. Rot and decay are your friends Forget everything you ever learned about hygiene and cleanliness — you’re striving to create the perfect environment through complete imperfection. This requires some grubbing around in your yard. Rotten wood (but not too rotten), pine cones, shredded newspaper (but not this one — especially my column), straw and the mature seed heads of most any perennial work just fine.
2. Duff material Under evergreens you will find small branches, decay and needles. Grab a few handfuls of this stuff; it appeals insects looking for a winter home. Come spring, some insects will obey the laws of nature and next thing you know, there are baby bugs running around your yard looking for a meal. This is cyclical and it is all good.
3. Chicken wire or hardware cloth Every hotel requires security measures. The big risk for insects in your new insect hotel are foraging birds. As much as I love songbirds, they are aggressive foragers and many of them love munching on insects. By sealing the duff material, etc. behind a layer of chicken wire or hardware cloth you are providing security for the little creatures, where they can live and breed without something sticking its beak where it does not belong.
4. Drainage You need to provide protection for the material that you put in your insect hotel. A roof overhead is a good idea, as are some drainage holes drilled in the base of the unit.
5. Mason bees I always provide some tubes for mason bees to lay their eggs. They will do this a couple of times during the gardening season and often late in fall, where they overwinter until spring when they produce flying
progeny. I have used bamboo for this purpose but make sure to smooth out the edges of the material at the entrance to the shoot. Or buy pre-made cardboard mason bee tubes that are the precise length, caliper and smoothness for the bees to lay their eggs.