Before you get started
What you will need
- An old mug, flower pot, the end of a clean plastic bottle, or any snug container
- Bamboo garden cane (cut into short and medium length pieces by a grownup), hollow woody stems, cardboard tubes, corrugated cardboard, paper, bark, or any other tubes
- A hacksaw and scissors
- String, if you plan on hanging your bug hotel
Method
Instructions
Roll paper into tubes
Roll paper, cardboard and bark into tight tubes and cut to fit the length of your container. Lacewings eat pests like aphids, and love to nestle in corrugated cardboard spirals.
Pack your tubes tightly
Pack your tubes tightly into your chosen container, until the whole space is filled. Pack any empty spaces with twigs, dry grass or straw.
Hang your container
Choose a place to hang or place your container. Entice bees and lacewings by hanging your house up high, or on a windowsill. Or place your hotel at ground level so centipedes and beetles can crawl inside.
If you have more space…
Pack more bug hotels between wooden pallets or bricks. Surround with logs, bricks, bundles of sticks and dry grass to make a minibeast mansion!