How to build an insect hotel

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Give nature a helping hand by building an insect hotel for your garden. In spring and summer it serves as a place for resting and breeding, and in the cold rainy months it is perfect for hibernating bees, bumblebees, ladybirds and butterflies. Insect hotels are all the rage. And you can build one yourself in a few simple steps.

Step 1: Use the jigsaw to cut two 70 cm planks (sides), one 23.2 cm plank, one 25 cm plank and four 20 cm planks.
Step 2: Tilt the jigsaw and cut the protruding topsides diagonally at an angle of 45 degrees. That’s where the roof will be.
Step 3: Use the sander to smooth down the sawn edges.
Step 4: Screw the four planks between the two sides of the insect hotel. Use a thin bit to drill the holes to prevent the wood from splitting. Start at the bottom, to make sure it’s level, and always leave around 20 cm between the planks. Leave around 10 cm on the topside.
Step 5: Now, screw in the two halves of the roof together diagonally at an angle of 90 degrees and fix them with screws at the top.
Step tip
Don’t paint or varnish your insect hotel. The odour actually repels insects.
Step 6: Drive a screw into a wall or a fence and hang the insect hotel up on it.
Step 7: Now it’s time to fill up your insect hotel. Use the jigsaw to cut the bamboo canes into pieces and fill a compartment in the insect hotel with them. Align them at the front to get the best look.
Step 8: Cut tree trunks with the jigsaw. Then drill several deep holes in the tree trunks with various (speed drill) bits. Ideally, the holes should be between 2 mm and 9 mm. Fill up the other compartments with bark, wood chippings, wood wool and pine cones. The insects will be grateful.