Upcycled Bug Hotel

Create your own Bug hotel using old and unwanted furniture or materials in your garage and build an area our children can observe the miniature world going on at the bottom of the garden.

We are very lucky that both of our children love spending time out side and an even great passion for exploring nature. When we moved to this house from the flat it was my own personal challenge to make sure the children made full use of the outdoors now we are lucky enough to have an outside. So now the children are out there in all weathers having fun together. 

Bug hotels are something I spotted in a few Early Years catalogues and thought could be easily replicated without spending a penny. Being a Childminder I will often do this as budget's can be very restricted and spending money on expensive equipment is just not an option. Plus this is a great lesson for older children, we don't need to always spend money to get things we would like RECYCLE!

We started the project by hunting through our garage for some wood and my husband had the idea that an old unit we had been keeping would be perfect for the job. Over time we know this unit will start to decay its self and fall apart but this is the beauty of the project the unit's wood will then also become a home for the mini beasts to live in. 

Things to remember when building a bug hotel:

• Place it in a quiet place where they can live happily with out too much disruption fro being poked and prodded. 
• Once the bug hotel has been made moving it again could upset the homes the insects have made so try to avoid moving the hotel as much as possible or build a base before you start to make this easier. 

Materials to make your own bug hotels:

• Bricks,
• Clay pots,
• Straw, dried grass, sticks
• Bamboo canes
• Bark and tree trucks both decaying or just with drilled holes
• Paving stones and tiles

Our plan is to continue adding items to fill the hotel completely and look for the changes to the habitats as the seasons change. 

If you plan on having a go or maybe you already have one, do send us an email or a Facebook message and we will share your creation on the site.