Are you running out of fun and cheap things to do with the kids during the summer holidays? Well our latest blog is just for you…
Help your little ones get creative, whilst educating them about local wildlife and learning about recycling and up-cycling. Bug hotels provide hours of fun, adventures, stories and questions. You don’t even have to go out to buy anything, you can use stuff you already have in your garden, shed or garage.
What Does A Bug Hotel Do And What Uses A Bug Hotel?
Also known as a wildlife hotel or stack; a bug hotel is made up of various layers, textures and materials, designed for all those little creepie crawlies in your garden. Depending on the size and the spaces, you might even attract other animals such as frogs, hedgehogs and birds!
What Does A Bug Hotel Look Like?
There’s no right or wrong when it comes to making your own bug hotel; it can be big or small, neat or messy, low down or high-up.
When To Make A Bug Hotel
You can build your bug hotel any time of the year, but the summer holidays are an ideal time as you’ll no doubt have more time. Why not get the kids to take before and after photos or draw pictures, see what’s changed and if anybody has moved in!
Bug Hotel Ideas
For a bug hotel DIY style, create a multi-storey hotel that’s full of a variety of materials providing hidey-holes for creatures. It’s best to use natural materials to make your bug hotel. The list is endless, but here are a few suggestions:
- Old wooden pallets
- Strips of wood
- Straw
- Moss
- Dry leaves
- Woodchips
- Old terracotta plant pots
- Old roofing tiles
- Bricks – preferably those with holes through them
- Old logs
- Bark
- Pine cones
- Sand
- Soil
- Hollow bamboo canes
- Dead hollow stems cut from shrubs and herbaceous plants
- Screwed up newspaper
Take a look at this step by step guide from RSPB to get you feeling inspired.
When you’re happy it’s finished, you could get creative and even make a bug hotel sign so all the little insects know that your bug hotel is open!
We’d love to see your bug hotel pictures; so please do share them with us on social media and tag us!