Insect house or bug house – help insect to survive the winter

Insect hotels have steadily been gaining popularity and that is good because they are great and actually do what they are designed to do and that is to help insects survive the winter. An insect house or hotel is a wooden house full of small things that insects like such as pine cones and straw but many other things. It is here where pollinators and other creatures, that help you in the garden during spring and summer, sleep. Even your garden should have such hotel. Don’t you think so? We all know that, ladybugs, earwigs, solitary bees and other useful creatures are disappearing from gardens and from nature at an alarming rate.

You can find many insect hotels in the market

Yes, you can buy an insect hotelbut you can make one yourself. However, it may be a lengthy process so, if you prefer to get one quickly, by one.There are many options starting with very small structures all the way to large ”hotels”. The price can also range from very inexpensive to very expensive models. You can see one at the Prague’s airport for example…

Photo: Pixabay

Insect hotel is not just a decoration

There are many people who buy insect hotels only as garden decoration. Sure, why not but at the same time, it is a very useful thing as you will be providing habitat for many species such as:

• Chrysis ignita, cuckoo wasp
• Chrysoperla carnea – common green lacewing
• ladybugs,
• Encarsia Formosa – greenhouse whitefly,
• bumblebees,
• earwigs
• and other animals.

Insects are perceived by many as unpleasant pests. For example, the earwig. Earwigs feed on aphids and that can help a lot. Solitary bees are also useful as they pollinate plants even at very low temperatures.Today’s modern gardens with English lawns and various gadgets do not provide insects with suitable space to live.

Photo: Pixabay

Just an extra protection for insect

Insect hotels also help insects to survive raids of insect-eating birds for example. Natural habitats do the same butinsect hotels do it even better. Just make sure to cover insect hotel with a suitable mesh to prevent birds from getting inside. You can put insect hotel in your garden, but also on your balcony next to the herb garden, for example.

Preview photo: Pixabay