A simple bug hotel brings in the pollinators and pest-eaters that keep your garden healthy. Here's how to make one.
Created by jflgardens.co.uk
A bug hotel is a cosy stack of nooks and crannies for the insects that pollinate your flowers and eat the pests you'd rather not. They're cheap to build, attractive in a border, and genuinely useful to the garden's little workforce.
Different beneficial insects want different homes – hollow bamboo and stems for solitary bees, drilled wood blocks for others, dry leaves and straw for beetles and centipedes, and pine cones for lacewings. A mix of materials attracts a mix of residents.
An old pallet or a stack of bricks forms a great frame. Pack the gaps with short bamboo lengths, drilled logs, straw, dry leaves, pine cones and broken terracotta. The more varied and snug the fill, the better it works – and almost all of it is free.
Put your bug hotel somewhere warm, dry and protected from driving wind and rain – a south-facing wall or hedge base, raised slightly off damp ground. Face the entrance holes away from the weather, and the residents will find it.
A bug hotel works best as part of a wildlife-friendly corner. Add a shallow water source, a log pile and some long grass nearby, and you've created a proper little habitat that supporting beneficial insects all season long.
From planting & borders to a full wildlife-style overhaul, the JFL Gardens team works across Surrey and London.
