Christie’s Blog

October 2024

A Project for Augie and the Family 

Make a Bug Hotel over the Holidays

As the holidays draw near I am trying to figure out an original project with humor and levity.  Sometimes holiday visits can be a little slow, and carry a little tension with so much togetherness. What a great idea  it would be to think up something educational and fun! Ages from 2 years old, like my grandson Augie, through post-retirement age can join in.   Anyone recovering or in the midst of health issues can play too by stuffing the Bug Hotel. It can help them feel a part of the group. What am I suggesting?  A Bug Hotel of course!

A Bug Hotel is a man-made project that serves as a shelter for bugs and other very small animals. Creating one is cheap, easy to make and helps the environment.

I have pictures below of the  large range of bug hotels you can get on-line.  Etsy, Wayfair and Amazon have adorable structures with A frame roof lines, perfect symmetry and equal size “sticks”.

I’d like to try the home made version  of the not so pretty Bug Hotel with my 2 year old grandson, Augie.

Why Make a Bug Hotel?

Peoples’ habit of smushing  beetles or spider often kills “beneficial” bugs.  In making a Bug Hotel you provide:

• Shelter for bugs to rest and stay safe especially in winter (hence the holiday project).
• Nesting spots for bugs to lay eggs.
• Protection from predators.
• Pollination since many pollinator bugs are attracted to bug hotels.
• Biodiversity by attracting native and migratory insects.

Bug hotels attract solitary bees, wasps, ladybugs, beetles and spiders.  Different bugs like the Assassin bug kill mealy bugs, leaf hoppers, aphids and small caterpillars. Other predators like the big eyed bug, brown lacewing and lady bug eat spider mites which are often seen on azaleas.

Types of Hotels

You can have the hotels be orderly and cute for people.

The messy ones, however, may be more attractive to the insects in Bug Land. Joe Lamp’l from “Growing a Greener World” on  PBS says, “ If you are paying any money for items to create a Bug Hotel …you are doing something wrong.  Messy is good.”  

Now that’s my kind of project.

How to Construct a Bug Hotel

-Find some scraps wood or large tubing or even wooden  pallets as the structure in which to stuff natural materials.

-Divide the hotel into sections.

-Try to have a hangover or slant on the roof to protect bugs from rain.

-Use all natural materials like stone, wood, pinecones and grass clippings.

-Drill holes in some of the wooden items or use old bricks with holes in them. These holes encourage bugs to leave larvae inside them.

To make it easier and warmer for everyone I was thinking of constructing the Bug Hotel indoors on a counter or table. Then I thought we would take a picture, take out the contents, screw the back  of the hotel into a tree or on a post, then re stuff it according to the photo.

Where to Hang the Bug Hotel

-Hang the hotel in a sheltered, dry space that gets morning sun. You can mount it on a post,wall or fence.

-Protect it from the wind so it won’t get damaged or have big temperature changes, which bugs don’t like.

-Keep it out of reach of pets. Hang the hotel at least 4-5′ high so pets wont knock it over.

-Provide a water source nearby so bugs can drink.

-Position near foliage so insects can easily move to it.

– Add a protective barrier if birds peck at it. You can get a 1 by 1 inch mesh but keep it at least 2 inches away from the bug hotel.

– Attract insects by planting pollinators near it and by having some bare dirt nearby.

-or be original.

Problems may be that some diseases and mites can build up over years. You may want to change out some of the items every few years.

Be brave and give it a whirl! I’m kind of hoping that one day Augie will see me as the ‘mastermind of good projects’ and the Bug Hotel as a highlight of the holiday. I hope my family sees me like that too, since they will be doing most of the work!

Christie lives in Manakin Sabot , Virginia where she manages a 3 acre garden. Her blogs are written from her 35 years as a personal and professional gardener.