Friday 23 November 2012

Insect Hotel Mk2

The other day I wrote about helping insects to survive the Winter by providing hibernation refuges such as log-piles and insect hotels Well, I have followed my own advice and built a brand-new insect hotel, right next door to my existing log-pile.


The basis of my new construction is the wooden pallet on which my Woodblocx raised bed kit was delivered, so thank you Henry and Co. for providing this welcome bonus! The pallet in its original form was too big for my needs, so I cut it up and made a two-storey hotel:


I am expecting a very diverse clientele, so I have provided the rooms with furnishings of many different types - some man-made and some natural. There are wooden boxes, plastic pipes, bits of old fleece, flower-pots, sections of bamboo cane, twigs, pine-needles, etc, etc.


The hotel has a flat roof, which I am expecting to be used by the local cats as an aid to getting over the fence, so I have not put much on it - just a few bits of old brick and paving-slab. I think I may augment this by the addition of my old bird-bath, which will act as the hotel swimming-pool / bar!


The hotel is open for business with immediate effect. I'm taking reservations now...

13 comments:

  1. Don't you just love when you get useful things without even trying. I love pallets They can be very useful. I'm thinking that I need another addition to my pallet compost bin. I would love a fifth to store the finished compost. The small black composter that I've been using is just too small.

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  2. Must have missed your earlier post. What a great idea. It looks so inviting I am sure the insects are queuing up to check in!

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  3. Will putting a bird bath so near a fence that cats jump over put the birds at risk?

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    1. Sue; the bird-bath is currently very near the "Hotel" and also at a low level (near where both cats and foxes come UNDER the fence at present), so I don't think it will alter the status quo very much!

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  4. You have enough room, for an awful lot of bugs there!

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    1. Hmmm, yes. Let's hope it doesn't attract too many spiders!

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  5. Love it. But I wouldn't want to be putting my hand in it.

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  6. I soo want a hotel! I currently just stuff as much as I can under my shed for now.

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  7. We have been making slug hotels at pottery lately. They are not refuges but beer filled elinination portals.

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  8. Back to being able to comment - I would definitely visit if I were an insect, I think I had better upgrade mine - keeping up with the Jones's and all that.

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  9. Looks like spider heaven! It'll be interesting to see what yoo get. When will you take a census?

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  10. and amazingly interesting for your grandchildren too Mark, imagine next year when the Bees, lacewings and hoverflies find it... the Bees will fill an empty cane in an hour when they're satisfied. It will be great to watch and so useful to have these insects in the garden

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  11. Thats a wonderful idea Mark, I think I will incorporate same in my Florida back-yard. The mason/carpenter/ solitary neon/ green bees solitary wasps, et al, would love a habitat such as that. So thanks for the direction.

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