Why would anyone want to provide a five-star retreat for garden-variety pests? Because, quite simply, insects will watch your back if you watch theirs. Given a comfy place to nest in all weather, spiders will eat the mosquitoes, bees will pollinate the daisies and those lovely butterflies – well, they aren’t pests at all are they?
Most bugs aren’t picky, and building a DIY insect hotel from found materials is so easy that it’s been a popular hobby in the European countryside for decades. A few wooden logs or sticks, rolled up paper and cardboard, and a hot glue gun (if you really have to) are enough to construct a holiday home for a variety of native arthropods. Although insect communities are generally more than capable of DIY-ing their own rather superior hives and nests, many insects are solo animals, and some, like solitary bees, don’t build homes for themselves. They just need shelter, and maybe even a bit of social interaction – so if you’re hoping for even more beneficial bugs around, you might consider hosting a singles mixer at the local insect hotel on Saturday nights. p (ew)
The Heimanshof Garden in the Netherlands hosts 20 insect hotels on its grounds. (Photo: Bob Daamen)
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