Build your own insect hotel – in seven easy steps

Create a home for bees, bumblebees, ladybugs, and other insects using natural materials and items you already have at home. It’s quick and easy to build shelters for pollinating insects—and it helps boost biodiversity in your garden.

1. Find or build a box that will serve as the frame for your hotel.
2. Build walls and attach different nesting spaces inside the frame.
3. Cut bamboo canes into lengths of 15–20 cm and clean them out so bees and other insects can crawl inside.
4. Drill holes of various sizes (3–13 mm) into solid wooden blocks without going all the way through. The holes should be about 15–20 cm deep to suit different insect species.
5. Fill the compartments of the box with the bamboo tubes, drilled wooden blocks, straw, grass, leaves, moss, and pinecones.
6. Cover the front with chicken wire and staple it in place to protect the insects from birds.
7. Mount the insect hotel on a sunny outdoor wall, about 1–1.5 meters above ground, and make sure it’s sheltered from wind and rain. Place it near plants that bees and other pollinators love.

Done! Your insect hotel is now ready to welcome various species of bees and other pollinating insects. You’ll soon notice them moving in—and with bees and bumblebees buzzing around, the natural balance in your garden will thrive.

There are many ways to give bees, bumblebees, and other insects space to nest and thrive. The best tip is to think round holes in various sizes—insects love holes, as they provide protection, a place to lay eggs, and even a pantry for food.

Here are a few simple ideas:

• Bundle firewood logs with small holes drilled into the ends. Hang them with rope against a warm wall.
• Tie together bamboo canes using zip ties. Hang the bundle under a board or shelf to protect it from rain.
• Bundle reeds (which have hollow centers, like straws) and fasten them under cover for better durability.
• Drill holes into solid wood to a depth of 15–20 cm, without drilling all the way through. Use drill bits of various sizes (3–13 mm) to create holes for different insect species.
  
  

If you put a little time and care into the design, your insect hotel can also become a beautiful feature in your garden. Most importantly, you’ll be helping threatened bee species find a safe place to settle—and at the same time, ensuring that your fruit trees, berry bushes, and flowers get the pollination they need.

Create a buffet for bees and other pollinating insects with some of these plants:

• Early spring bloomers like grape hyacinth, pussy willow, and hyacinths
• Spring bloomers such as lavender, forget-me-not, scabiosa, and columbine
• Summer bloomers like lungwort, gooseberry, foamflower, and cowslip
  

The finishing touch? A small birdbath — it also provides a source of drinking water for the insects.

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