Insect Hotel
About Insect Hotel
As the name suggests, an insect hotel is a non-natural living space for insects. It is like birdhouses but for insects. It is just a structure that serves as a shelter for insects. If you are a garden lover, you are aware of the concept of these hotels. If you are new to this idea, then you have come to the right place! You may already know; insects are beneficial to the environment just like any other living thing! Plants are pollinated by insects, which in turn provides food for us. Hence, creating a safe space for such creatures is our duty!
An insect hotel is also called an insect house or bug hotel. The shape and size of the hotel vary from insect to insect. The insects use them either for nesting or hibernating. You can make a hotel for insects with the help of wood, stones, or old tiles. You can also buy insect hotels online in UAE from Shops.ae. Here you can choose from over 500 brands like Gardenline, Trixie, and Wildlife Friend. The best insect hotel for the garden is the one that is eco-friendly and attracts insects. It would be best to know that some of these hotels have an improper design. Due to poor design, they become inappropriate for insects. If you want to provide habitat for the insects, you need correct design, cultivating environment, and preservation. We will aid you in making the right choice. Read on to know more about them!
Things to keep in mind before buying an insect hotel
A nature enthusiast or a gardener will understand the need for a hotel for insects. However, there are many things that go into consideration when you decide to get one. Even before that, you need to list your preferences by exploring products online and see what features are a must for your purpose. Reading about the product can be of great benefit. It will help narrow down your purchase, the result of which is an informed decision without compromise on quality. You will find multiple stores offline and online to buy the perfect hotel for insects. However, selecting the perfect one could be a bit tricky. You must know some pointers before you go ahead and make that purchase. The following are some tips for you to keep in mind.
Benefits
Sometimes you may wonder, why is there an insect hotel in your garden? Or if keeping an insect hotel is beneficial for you in any way. Let us tell you an insect hotel comes with many less-known benefits. One of the significant advantages of an insect hotel is it usually attracts insects, which are beneficial for your garden. Due to the presence of the hotel, these beneficial insects will surely drop in your garden. These insects also help in pest control in the gardens. Since they end up pollinating in your garden, it reduces the need to use chemicals to control pests. Getting an insect hotel will also maintain a balance in your garden. Many insects need a safe space due to the loss of their natural habitats. Hence, your garden can be home to various living beings.
Creating a safe space
Insects are just like us. When we go to a new place, we check every aspect of that space. If we don’t feel safe, we look for another place. Similarly, insects also check all the elements before choosing a new home. There are a few things that you must do to attract most insects to your insect hotel. The first step you must take is to grow as many plants as possible with pollen and nectar. This will attract pollinators to your insect hotel. The second step is not to trim your garden frequently. Since insects are used to living in natural spaces, you need to create that effect for them. If you put an insect hotel in a garden that is over-trimmed, there will be no visitors! The best place to put an insect hotel is along a wall in a garden filled with plants.
No pesticides
Many gardeners use a lot of pesticides to get rid of unwanted pests. But they don’t realise that pesticides kill the pests and keep the beneficial insects away. Using pesticides is also not friendly to the environment. There are two solutions for you if you use pesticides and want an insect hotel. You can completely stop using pesticides or use them as least as possible. A better option is to maintain and clean your gardens on time to have no unwanted pests. The beneficial insects help you in pollinating flowers and controlling pests. Using no pesticides will result in natural visits from the beneficial insects. Still, if you get unwanted visitors, you can use environment-friendly cures to get rid of them. It would be best to know that no pesticides help in balancing the productivity of the ecosystem.
Insects that need humanmade habitats
Many insects can use an insect hotel. But bees are the most popular of all. We may not realise it, but bees are a vital part of our life. They aid in producing vegetables and fruits. Native bees like mason bees and solitary bees require artificial living spaces. A bee hotel must be small and cosy as these tiny creatures love small spaces! When the bees are looking to lay eggs, they look for tubes/reeds. It would be best if you placed some tubes at different positions in the hotel. In this way, you can save the bees from pest induced diseases. You can also refer to the bee hotel as a solitary bee hotel or a small bug hotel. These hotels are made from bamboo tubes, and bees use them in spring/summer. Other creatures that need habitats are butterflies, green lacewings, ladybirds, and many more.
Tips on how to buy Insect Hotel
If you are researching, you will find different kinds of insect hotels available. To make the perfect purchase, you must know the options available for you. There are various hotels for various bugs. For example, a solitary bee will not use an insect hotel for ladybugs! Read on to ensure you buy the perfect insect hotel as per your requirement.
- Insect selection – This may sound weird, but this is the most important tip for you! Before choosing the most artistic and creative insect hotel, you must decide the insect you want to host. As mentioned earlier, many insects need your help to survive. But the most common insects are bees. Since they like to reside in tubes, that is precisely what you need in your hotel!
- Size – After deciding which insect you want to host, the next step is determining the available space. Measure the area available to put the hotel. Instead of putting one big hotel, you can put many small ones. The best approach to selecting the size is to go small. You don’t want a big hotel where multiple insects are residing at once. This co-living leads to the occurrence of parasites that harm the insects. It would be best if you buy numerous small insect hotels. That way, you will be hosting many insects without the fear of parasites. Another drawback of buying a large hotel is that it will not be suitable for different insects residing together. Some insects thrive in the full sun, whereas others love to enjoy the shade.
- Design – The insect hotel’s design is also an essential factor that you must check before buying. It would help if you did not just buy an insect hotel. Instead, you must choose the perfect design for your hotel. One of the most common designs is with a lot of rooms. If you plan on putting up a large hotel, you can divide it into different sections. You can decorate each area with materials like drilled wood, twigs, sticks, bamboo, straw, dried grass, rotting logs, and more. On the other hand, if you buy a small insect hotel, you can decorate it with any material. Once you decide on the insect you want to host, you can choose the perfect design easily.
- Purchase or DIY – The easy way is to hop on our product search engine and order your favourite hotel. A more fun way to do it is to go for a bee hotel DIY. In this method, you have to build your hotel from scratch. You can either use available materials in your homes or buy an insect house kit from our online shops. This kit comes with a manual that has instructions to assemble the perfect insect hotel. Remember to keep in mind the climate conditions and choose the material of the hotel accordingly.
- Maintenance – Keeping a hotel for insects in your garden is not enough. You must ensure there is regular cleaning so that there is no harm to the insects in any way. Be prepared to clean the hotel timely. For example, you must clean the hotel at the end of summer to get rid of dead insects, if any. Similarly, in winters, you can always keep the hotel under a shed so that the cold doesn’t harm insects. When the hotel is used for a long time, the natural materials start degrading. The materials degrade because they are free of preservative chemicals. That is your cue to replace the hotel. Remember, a dirty insect hotel will attract unwanted pests instead of beneficial insects.
We hope we were able to aid you in narrowing down your search for bug hotels. We believe maintaining a hotel is as important as building one or buying one! When you create a safe space for insects, you will feel that you have done something to make a change. So, choose wisely!
Question & Answer
Which direction should an insect hotel face?
An insect hotel is an artificially built home for insects. Whether you purchase one or make a hotel on your own, you must know where to place it. It should always be in an area that has shade in your garden. It should also be in a position where there is less wind and damper. In contrast, solitary bees like their homes in a sunny place. This direction helps them in getting out in winter. It would be best if you knew that there are insect hotspots in your garden. Insect hotspots are places where there is a tendency that the insects will visit the most. For example, flowers rich in nectar and hedges serve as insect hotspots. If you place the hotel near these hotspots or facing these hotspots, more insects will take shelter in it.
What is the purpose of an insect hotel?
A hotel for insects serves as a shelter for insects whose natural habitat is lost. It aids many insects and minibeasts like woodlice, spiders, bees, and ladybugs. Minibeasts utilise these hotels to seek refuge from predators, to raise their young ones, and to lay their eggs. Most of the insects look for shelter in autumn when they get ready to hibernate. Therefore, autumn is an appropriate season to build an insect hotel with readily available natural items. With the help of these hotels, you can choose which bugs you want in your garden. There will rarely be any unpleasant visitors. A hotel for insects not only provides shelter but also adds a creative touch to your garden.
What makes a good insect hotel?
All good insect hotels have something in common. That is providing smooth, elongated areas for the insects. For example, solitary bees and wasps lay their eggs and hatch them in such living spaces. A good hotel will have nurseries for these insects made from dead branches in your garden. To make a perfect insect hotel, you can use natural materials such as bamboo sticks and straws. You may also use wood drilled with holes or any elongated product. It would be best to know that a good hotel does not have toxic materials, paints, and adhesives. You don’t need to worry as these small creatures are quite adaptable. Still keep in mind these few things, and you are good to go!