Build more insect hotels!
We're glad you chose to go on an expedition to boost biodiversity and that you want to know more about how you can help the insects.
There are good and simple ways to create different kinds of insect hotels around the garden to give insects the best possible conditions for them to thrive. But it's not just about the materials you use.
Below you will find a small guide to which insects the different materials attract, so you can take this into consideration when creating your insect hotels.
What insects do you want to attract?
Dead wood: This material is particularly good for decomposers such as woodlice, but also centipedes and millipedes like to live between the logs. You can also dig one or more dead logs into the ground so that they stand upright. Beetles such as oak deer, beech deer and typographers especially like to live in them. However, you'll have to be a bit lucky if these beetle species choose to move in, as they are no longer widespread in Denmark.
Brick/tile: Among other things, the material is a great place for the various ground beetles to live, as they seek the shady corners during the day before hunting at night. Spiders also like to move in here. If you place bricks near the ground, you may be lucky that lizards and snakes use it as a warming station.
Cones, twigs and other small items from nature: These materials are great all-around materials to incorporate into your hotel as they can attract many different species of insects. Make sure to secure the materials, for example with chicken wire, so the wind doesn't take them away when it blows
Would you like to do something extra good for the bees?
Building a bee hotel to help some of nature's wild bees find a suitable place to lay their eggs is quite simple.
All you need is a tree trunk, a drill and 4mm, 5mm, 6mm and 7mm drill bits.
Then you need to drill a lot of holes as deep into the trunk as you can. Drill holes in several different sizes to accommodate different species and sizes of bees.
These hotels are designed for solitary bees, i.e. our wild bee species that live alone and lay their eggs in holes in wood, sandbanks or masonry. It's easy to see if any bees have moved into your bee hotel because they seal the holes with mud or leaves after laying their eggs.
Wild solitary bees are not aggressive and won't sting you, so there's no need to fear having them in your garden. Instead, enjoy them and be fascinated by their diversity.
