In today’s post, I’ll show you how to make a bug hotel for ladybugs, butterflies, and pollinators with a few items.
Why would you want to make a hotel for bugs? You can help solitary insects like butterflies and certain bees build a nest and have a place to hibernate during the winter months.
You can build a simple hotel with a few items you already have around the house.
What You’ll Need to make a bug hotel
Step One – Decorate container.
If you’re using a tin can for your bug hotel, I highly recommend adding a layer or two of paint to avoid rusting. Don’t want to use a can? You can cut a plastic bottle or use a round plastic container instead.
In my case, I used purple paint to attract bees to the bug hotel.
Step Two – Fill the container
Don’t worry if you don’t have a bamboo plant nearby, as you can always use rolls of cardboard to fill your chosen container. Make sure that the stems or cardboard rolls are very close together to avoid movement inside.
Step Three – Hang container
Tie some twine or cotton cord around the container. Find a quiet, undisturbed, dry spot in your garden preferably near vegetation and watch the bugs move in!
Once the bugs have left in late Spring, clean the container to avoid germs and any unwanted crawlers making homes. Replace the used cardboard or stems with new ones. Check the state of the container to see if you can use it for the next season.
If you build your bug hotel let me know how it turned out in the comments.
Stay weird!
