Insect hotels are becoming as sought after as birdhouses and bird feeders in today’s gardens. Have you got one? Should you have one (or two, or more?).
What is an insect hotel and why should you have one?
Which insects might use it?
Who makes use of your insect boxes or hotels will of course depend on some important factors: what insects you have visiting your garden or area in and around your property (some you might not even be aware of), the design and style of house, and the time of year – just to name a few.
This guide focuses on both insect houses that are made for multiple types of insects, as well as including a few that are designed more specifically for one insect type, such as ladybugs.
The 3 main insects that are known to use these houses are:
- Bees
- Butterflies
- Ladybugs
It goes without saying that these three insects types are the most welcome and beneficial to attract to any garden.
Do Insect Hotels Work?
Well, it depends what you mean by “work”. If you simply want to attract more insects to your garden or backyard and don’t have big expectactions of huge swarms of insects descending on your hotel, then it really should be conisderd to be working even if you only get one insect visitor!
The measure of success for most of us though is to have a pretty steady stream of insect visitors throughout most of the year – including different types of insects, and different species. Keeping a record of the species you’re seeing is a great idea, and getting photos to go with your records is even better.
Who knows?
You might even spot an endangered or rare species at your insect hotel and you can report sightings like that to interested parties like scientific groups, researchers, local insect and wildlife groups and anyone who shares your interest in insects.