{"id":7596,"date":"2022-04-10T08:30:38","date_gmt":"2022-04-10T08:30:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/keepingbugs.com\/?p=7596"},"modified":"2023-07-19T08:11:22","modified_gmt":"2023-07-19T08:11:22","slug":"build-your-own-insect-hotel-7-things-to-know-before-you-start","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/keepingbugs.com\/build-your-own-insect-hotel-7-things-to-know-before-you-start\/","title":{"rendered":"Build Your Own Insect Hotel: 7 Things To Know Before You Start"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Making your own insect hotels can be very rewarding as a hobby gardener or nature enthusiast. The concept of insect hotels, also known as bee hotels or bug hotels, is becoming more popular now we understand the important role of insects. Without insects, the world will be a barren place and we humans will probably not thrive. Building your own insect hotel will help insects to survive and thrive again. At least when you do it the right way. Let’s discuss 7 things you probably should know before you start building your next insect hotel. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
When you build your own insect hotel there are several things to consider to make them better suitable for these creatures. Here are the 7 most important things to consider:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n In this article, you will discover how you can make better insect hotels that are loved by all those creatures. There are plenty of step-by-step guides on how to make an insect hotel and a myriad of insect hotel designs at garden stores to buy. But be aware! These hotels do not always have a good design and some can even harm insects. When you consider these 7 quite easy steps, you will attract more insects into your garden and provide them with the shelter that they hardly need to survive. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In this series of Backyard Bugs<\/a>, we explore wild bugs and how you can provide a better living for them with simple things. The world population of insects and related bugs is rapidly declining. Their important role in the sustainability of life and the future of our planet is often underestimated. This series is to stimulate more and more people to be aware, to act and provide a better environment for these important creatures.<\/em> We partner with companies that offer products that we think are great for you to use, and that can help you achieve your goals. If you purchase through our partner links, we get paid for the referral at no additional cost to you! Please read our disclaimer<\/a> for more info.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Many people choose to make a big insect hotel. Because bigger hotels can house more insects, right? Well, let me tell you that bigger is in this case not necessarily better. Let me explain why.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It is better to think small and not try to host an entire zoo in one enclosure. Every species has its own needs and not all insect species like to live in a crowded place. It is better to make an insect hotel for one or a couple of particular insect species, and if you gain more and more experience build another one for other species. In the end, you help insects more by building many smaller insect hotels instead of one large mega hotel. <\/p>\n\n\n\n There is a myriad of how-to guides on how to build an insect hotel. Some are even more bizarrely shaped than others. However, many designs are focused on the esthetics of the insect hotels instead of the needs of the insects you want to attract or provide shelter. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Start by thinking about which species of insect you wish to provide shelter for and focus your design on their needs. For example, you can make hotels for tube nesting bees. These bees only occupy small tubes with a diameter between 2mm to 10mm. Again, as mentioned before, make your hotel small and better make multiple hotels to place around in your backyard. <\/p>\n\n\n\n A good practice is to provide your insect hotel with some kind of a roof, so it doesn’t rain in or the hotel gets moist. Moist will attract fungus, parasites and other diseases to your hotel. The basics of any insect hotel are a sturdy and solid backplate and roof plate to protect from rain. <\/p>\n\n\n\n I would like to recommend you to read the extensive guide on how to make and manage a bee hotel<\/a> by Marc Carlton. It will provide insights about making responsible designs for certain species. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
#1 Size of insect hotels does matter – Small is better<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
#2 Choose a responsible design for your insect hotel<\/h2>\n\n\n\n