Make a bug hotel

Having trouble finding bugs? There’s lots of ways to make your garden or outdoor space more bug friendly. Follow these instructions to make a bug hotel and see who moves in!

• A clean, dry plastic drinks bottle
• Scissors
• String
• Corrugated cardboard, twigs, pine cones or other natural materials
• A helpful grown-up
• A tree or a bush

1. Cut about 3cm off the bottom and top of your bottle.
2. Make two holes on either end of the bottle. Thread some string through the holes you just made and tie the ends together to make a hanging loop.
3. Roll up the corrugated card and put it inside the bottle. The card should unroll itself a bit and hold itself in place.
4. Make sure none of the card sticks out of the ends. Cut off any excess card. Use the twigs and other materials to pack in any gaps in the cardboard.
5. Tie your finished bug hotel into a tree or bush. Wait and see who visits! You can look carefully through the bottle at any bugs who might be staying here.