Insect Shelters

​Insects and other minibeasts need safe spaces to shelter, hide from predators and raise their young. You can help them by building places to live. New shelters can be made at any time of year, but you’ll find lots of natural materials around in autumn. This is also the time when many animals look for places to hibernate over winter.
 
Bug hotel
If you have some bricks, wooden boxes or pallets to hand, why not build a multi-storey minibeast hotel. Divide it into sections and stuff each part with different natural materials. Dry leaves, twigs, hollow stems, dead grass, pine cones and bits of bark are ideal. They’ll help to create warm, dry spaces that will attract different creepy crawlies. Such a shelter is good for: lots of different types of minibeast such as ladybirds, bees, woodlice and spiders.
 
Siting a bug hotel is important – it is a decisive factor in whether the beneficial insects accept the insect house or not. Optimally, it is placed in a location that receives sunlight facing south and is protected from wind and rain. Local sources of food are also helpful in attracting insects. 

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Log pile 
Decaying wood is really important for wildlife. To make a log pile, simply collect small logs, large sticks and pieces of rotting wood. Pile them up in a damp, shady area of your garden, then stuff some dead leaves in the nooks and crannies to make it cosy. These shelters are good for: centipedes, woodlice and beetles who like to burrow into decaying wood. Log piles may also attract birds, frogs and hedgehogs looking for a tasty snack! For further information click here