How to make a bug hotel

Encourage more beneficial creepy crawlies into your garden and keep them safe in a bug hotel.

bug hotel

by Bryony Firth-Bernard |
Updated on

Help encourage more beneficial creepy crawlies in a your garden and keep them safe in a bug hotel

Did you know an average garden is home to more than 2,000 species of insects? A lot of these bugs are actually very good for our plants too and one way we can increase their numbers, while protecting them from nasty predators, is by making a bug hotel.

They’re actually very easy to make and you may even have a few of the bits to make them lying around your house and in your garden already. Here’s a great tutorial from RSPB so you can give it a go.

You will need:

For your bug hotel

Old wooden pallets

Bricks, preferably those with holes through them

To fill your bug hotel

Strips of wood

Straw

Moss

Dry leaves

Woodchips

Old terracotta pots

Old roofing tiles

Old logs

Bark

Pine cones

Sand

Soil

Hollow bamboo canes

Dead hollow stems cut from shrubs and herbaceous plants

A sheet of roofing felt

Planks of wood

Where to make your bug hotel:

Choose a site where the ground is firm and level is key for building a sturdy bug hotel.

Depending on where you build your bug hotel will determine what residents you invite into your hotel. Some bugs like damp, cool conditions, while others prefer the sun. If you have vegetable beds in your garden, the RSPB recommends building your bug hotel away from them.

How to make your bug hotel:

  1. Leave some spaces in between the bricks and try creating a H-shape. Then, place three of four layers of the wooden pallets on top of your bricks.
  1. If you leave larger ends, you're more likely to attract hedgehogs.
RSPB how to build a bug hotel

You want to provide lots of different tunnels, crevices and cosy beds for your bugs.

3. Add:

• Dead wood and loose bark for creepy crawlies like beetles, centipedes, spiders and woodlice.

• Holes and small tubes (but not plastic) for solitary bees made out of bamboo, reeds and drilled logs.

• Larger holes filled with tiles and stones, to provide the cool, damp conditions frogs and toads like.

• Dry leaves, sticks or straw for ladybirds.

• Ridged cardboard for lacewings.

If you have room you can even add a hedgehog box into

RSPB how to build a bug hotel

4. Make a roof

For this, use some old roof tiles or some old planks covered with roofing felt.

Buy a bug hotel

We’ve rounded up a few pre-made bug hotels, just incase you are short on time or don’t have a lot of the materials above to hand.

Just so you know, whilst we may receive a commission or other compensation from the links on this page, we never allow this to influence product selections.

Pet Ting Wooden Insect Bee House
Price: £28.79

This little house is perfect for attracting bees, butterflies, ladybirds and a host of insects into your garden.

This hanging bug hotel is perfect for popping on tree branches to encourage natural pollinate in your garden.

Help provide a large home to the insects in your garden while also adding a pop of colour with this blue hanging bug hotel.

Eco-Friendly Bee House Hotel
Price: £18.99

If your garden is filled with lots of busy bees why not offer them a safe place to stay in this compact yellow bee hotel?

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