How to build an insect hotel with kids

This spring I was looking for a new nature-related craft with my daughter – something that would be fun to build and useful at the same time. After some research, we came up with a great idea: we wanted to build an insect hotel. And that is what we did. There are many different ways to build an insect hotel, but today we would like to show you three simple ways you can build one with bamboo.

Insects are under pressure everywhere due to the loss of habitat and plants and the overuse of pesticides. But without insects, our entire ecosystem will collapse. They pollinate our fruits, flowers, and vegetables and our waste disposal system. At the same time, they themselves are food for so many other animals, and if insects disappear, many others will follow. So, what can you do to help insects? There are actually a couple of things you can do to make sure insects stick around.

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How can you build an insect hotel with kids?

There are many different ways you can build an insect hotel with kids. We have tried three this summer:

• Using a log with holes
• A can filled with bamboo
• A wooden case with bamboo and wood sticks

All of them work pretty well, and many different insects already have moved into our hotel. For the first and second models, you do not need many tools, the third one is a bit more advanced but also looks nicer.

Of course, there are also some sets that you can use that come with everything. This one looks really cute and is easy to assemble. If you don’t have the time to build an insect hotel with kids from scratch, these are great alternatives to do it anyways.

If you want to learn more about insect and bee hotels, I recommend to also get a book. We really like these two, and they give you a complete and holistic picture of the different options and the benefits. The second one even talks about bird boxes as well.

Related: Teaching Children How to be Environmentalists

Building an insect hotel with kids – A log with holes

This is the most basic insect hotel you can build – but often it is enough. You only need a log of wood that is dry and has no cracks and a drill. Then you drill holes into it – they should have a diameter of 3 to 8 mm and be at least 9 cm deep. That’s it – you have your first very basic insect hotel.

Now you only have to think about how to put it up. You can either attach hooks or just use some string – we actually used old shoestrings to hang it.

A can filled with bamboo

This simple insect hotel is also very easy to build with kids and will serve its purpose. You need

• An empty can
• Bamboo sticks or cardboard tubes
• String
• Glue

Take off the top of the can and make sure it is dull so that it does not cut anymore. After that, fill the can with bamboo sticks or cardboard tubes and glue them to the bottom. This is important so that birds cannot take them out – they will want to try to get them. The bamboo sticks have to be at least 2,5 inches long, otherwise, bees will not accept them.

If you cut the bamboo, make sure that the cuts are clean, as bees and insects will not move in if there are splinters. If the marrow is still inside, remove it before you attach the sticks. Bees will only move into clean sticks.

When done, attach the string to it to be able to hang it in an appropriate location. If you do not have bamboo, you can use cardboard tubes that work very well for bees. If you use them, you really have to make sure that they don’t get wet though.

A wooden box with bamboo and wood sticks

This is the most sophisticated insect hotel we built – and the one we like most. We only used old wood that we had in the basement, so it was not a big issue, but you might have to get some more wood if you don’t have that.

To make one, you need:

• Wood to make the box
• Screws
• Bamboo or cardboard tubes
• Pieces of wood (we used an old broomstick…)
• Wire to hang it

As we used old wood, we were limited by the dimensions we had for the box. I would not make it too big, as you will need a lot of bamboo or tubes to fill it up. We made the box with a solid back and an overhanging roof with an incline so that the rain would not get to it.

After finishing the box, we cut the bamboo into pieces of 3 inches that fit exactly into the box and cleaned them – that took a while. We also used pieces of the broomstick that we cut to the same length and drilled holes into them – they not only take up more space but also make the house look nicer.

When we had enough, we glued it all in again to make sure hungry birds will not be able to take the sticks out as snacks. We attached two nails and wire at the bottom and that’s it – now the insect hotel is hanging in our garden, being home to a lot of amazing critters.

Where should you hang your insect hotel?

Now that you have built an amazing insect hotel with your kids, you need to figure out where to put it. The spot you chose should be sunny and have a clear airway – the bees need to be able to fly towards it without obstructions. If it is close to water and flowers, even better.

If you want to place an insect hotel without a roof, think of shelter for it. It should not get wet, as it could get moldy in that case. We have chosen a location right under our roof so that it is kept out of the rain.

Beyond building an insect hotel with kids – plant flowers

Not only for bees but for all kinds of insects, flowers are key to survival. And with flowers, I mean native flowers that actually carry pollen – not hyper-bred plants that are not endemic. Make sure to know what kinds of plants are needed in your area and plant them in your garden. If you plant lavender, you will attract bees, for example, honeysuckle, foxgloves, and hawthorn also attract insects.

If you don’t have a garden, you can also try to make these plants grow in communal areas if this is allowed in your area. In my town, there are wildflowers growing on many traffic refuges now, because people just left seeds there. It serves two purposes at the same time – it looks beautiful, and it offers food for insects.

Related: Gardening with kids – growing a green thumb

Leave your garden a bit messy

If you want to do insects a favor and attract them to your garden, give up the perfection. Leave it a bit messy, so they will find more spaces to lay their eggs and stay for the winter. If you always cut your grass short and leave no weeds at, insects might have a difficult time finding space. The same goes for stone gardens – obviously, they are not a welcoming home for insects.

If you have any plants with woody stems, also consider leaving them in autumn instead of cutting everything down. Many insects might spend the winter in those stems and you can still cut them in spring when they already hatched.

Please share pictures and stories of your insect hotels with kids – we would love to see them!