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Bushcraft at home! Embrace the creepy crawlies, Create a bug hotel
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Encourage your kids to not be afraid of nature and the many creepy crawlies that live outside. A bug hotel is a fab way to get them not only acquainted with the bugs they find but also a fun creative activity that everyone can get involved in.
So what do you need to make a bug hotel?
Pretty much anything and everything can be used to make a bug hotel, here are just a few of our suggestions:
Dry Leaves
Woodchips
Pallets
Bark
Logs
Pinecones
Bricks
Moss
And so much more! The trick is to think of things that have holes or cracks that bugs will be able to hide in.
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Now we need a location
Look around your garden and decide where you would like to start building your hotel. We recommend keeping away from flower or vegetable beds.
To start we want to lay a large but firm stable base but with plenty of space for all of our critters to move in. A good rule of thumb is to set bricks in the corner and place wooden pallets on top. (Pallets are fantastic for Bug hotels as they already have holes and sections built in.)
Stack the pallets as high as you would like your hotel, we recommend 5 max! But you can also build at a much smaller scale if required.
Then it’s time to get filling!
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This is the fun part where we get to furnish the hotel for all of our new tenants. We want to create a variety of textures and holes to attract different types of bugs and ensure they are all comfortable.
For example, dry leaves are fantastic for some beetles and bugs or how about adding stones to the centre to give frogs a home for the winter!
There are endless possibilities of materials you can add in to help your hotel flourish. Explore with different types and see what you like best.
Don’t forget to add a roof to your hotel! This will help shield them from the elements and the cold during winter. You can use some old roof tiles, planks of wood, anything that will help keep the elements out.
You can let your kids add an extra creative flair here. Once you know what you wood piece will be, let them decorate it with their choice of name before attaching it to your build.
And there you have it! Your very own bug hotel that you can make as a whole family activity.
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