Bug hotel (homemade)
Solitary bees, ladybirds, lacewings, beetles and more (hopefully)
Homemade wooden bug hotel with a felt roof, fixed to the fence. Made by a family member from scrap wood and packed with bits we had lying around. Compartments filled with:
• Rolled corrugated cardboard (lacewings, ladybirds)
• Straw (general shelter)
• Drilled log slices (solitary bees)
• Broken terracotta (beetles, woodlice)
• Hollow stems and drilled dowels (solitary bees)
What to look for: holes sealed with mud mean mason bees have laid eggs inside, and neat leaf plugs mean leafcutter bees. The empty compartments could take pine cones, dry leaves, bark or hollow plant stems. Leave it alone over winter, as anything inside will be hibernating.
- Common name
- Bug hotel (homemade)
- Section
- Habitats
- Spot
- Garden
- Soil
- No soil, just bug bedding
- From
- Homemade by a family member from scrap wood, 2026
- Age
- Since spring 2026
- Next repot
- No repotting, but the rooms get a refresh when the guests move out in spring
- Edible
- ❌ No: Only for the birds, if the guests are careless.
- Garden-centre price
- about £15
Care & updates
- Observation
Occupancy unknown; keeping an eye out for movement. No obvious mud or leaf plugs in the drilled holes or tubes yet. A few compartments are empty apart from cobwebs.