Benefits of an insect hotel | Are they worth it?

Insect hotels benefit your garden in so many ways like increasing the diversity of insects to control pests, pollinate flowers. Attracting insects to your garden will help you to produce fruit and add some color and interest to your garden. Check out 9 benefits of an insect hotel and why they are worth it in your garden.

Benefits of an insect hotel

  1. Increase the natural balance of insects
  2. Grow more produce in our garden
  3. Helps to control pest insects
  4. Teach kids about insects
  5. Low cost or you can make them yourself for free
  6. Decorative
  7. Biodegradable
  8. Use up recycled materials
  9. They come in a size to fit small to large gardens
Insect hotels can be large or small to fit any sized backyard.

Benefits of an insect hotel in your garden

Increase the natural balance of insects

Many of our pollinating insects are becoming less and less common in our gardens as they are losing habitat. We can make a great home for them in an insect hotel and by planting a range of flowers for them to feed on.

Plant a range of flowers for your insect hotel guests.

Grow more produce in our garden

Food crops rely on bees to pollinate them for flowers to set and grow fruit. Pollinating insects like bees collect nectar from the flowers and when they do will move pollen from flower to flower. This pollination is what the plant needs to grow strawberries, peas, beans, lemons, apples and watermelon for example.

Pollinating insects are important for our food production in our home and on farms. We know that 70 of the top 100 most popular food crops are pollinated by bees and they pollinate 80% of all flowering plants on earth.

Insect houses are designed to attract native solitary bees, most of which are stingless. They will also attract ladybugs which will eat pesky aphids in your garden.

Attract bees and pollinators to help plants like strawberries set fruit.

Helps to control pest insects

Attracting beneficial insects to your garden with an insect hotel will help to control pest insects that can overtake your garden. If you attract a range of insects to your garden, they will naturally balance each other out over time.

The best thing I have experienced in my garden is the way that ladybugs are controlling aphids. New growth on my star jasmine is often attacked by aphids. I notice now that they are quickly dealt with by ladybugs who will fly in, eat the aphids and they fly away.

Reduce the use of pesticides by creating a balance of good bugs in your garden using a bug hotel.

Teach kids about insects

Putting an insect hotel in your garden is a great way for kids to get a close up view of the bugs in your garden. My kids are very interested in all types of bugs and the insect hotel gives them a great way to see them up close.

Teach your kids not to disturb or touch the insects in the bug hotel but give them a good view of ladybugs, bees and spiders.

My new bee hotel sitting on a ledge in my garden.

They are low cost or you can make them yourself for free

Insect hotels can be a low cost or free way to attract bugs to your garden and a great craft idea to make with kids.

When I was wandering around Ikea the other day trying to find bedside lamps, I came across a display that showed a really easy way to make a great bug hotel with a dollhouse. You could use any empty dollhouse and fill it with natural materials from around your home.

This simple idea is a great way to make an insect hotel using a structure already made.

Turn a new or old dollhouse into an insect hotel by filling it with natural materials.

Insect hotels are decorative for your garden

Insect hotels can be a great way to decorate your garden while keeping it functional. Paint insect hotels in bright colors or keep them gray or black for a modern look.

Insect hotels can add interest to your blank walls as well as creating a home for passing bees. Paint them to match your home or create a statement and paint them a bold, bright color.

Insect hotels are biodegradable

Insect hotels are a great way to add interest to your garden in a way that is biodegradable. If you find that over time you are ready to move on from your insect hotel, the natural timber and materials will break down over time.

Small sticks and leaves can be added to your compost and you can freshen them up by adding new materials. If you have filled your bug hotel with leaves or sticks, these will need to be replaced over time and the natural materials will break down and return carbon to the soil.

Insect hotels use recycled materials

Bug hotels can be a great way to recycle old garden pots, tins and even plastic containers. Fill them with natural material, hang them on their side and you will have a bug hotel ready to go.

Making an insect hotel out of an old plastic pot, filled with natural materials is the easiest way to make an insect hotel and recycle materials at the same time. Make sure you clean your pots first before filling with material.

Check out my previous article here to find out how to disinfect garden pots without using bleach.

Insect hotels come in a size to fit small to large gardens

Insect hotels will fit any size garden as you can buy them in a variety of sizes or make them yourself to fit your own space. It is best to start small with your insect hotel and build up as it fills up.

You can add small insect hotels together or build up a larger one by adding more bricks or more layers.

Best places to put your insect hotel

Here are some ideas for the best place to put your insect hotel.

  • Hang them in a tree
  • On ledge around 5-7 feet high (head height)
  • On a garden shelf
  • On the edge of your garden bed
  • Hung off of a wall of a shed

I have written a full article on this so check out the best place to put an insect hotel for more details.

How to attract insects to your hotel

Insect hotels usually come with seeds that you can plant in your garden to attract insects. I have planted my seeds in small pots and now in a cardboard box to grow and plant out into my garden. You can also scatter sow them on top of bare soil.

Seeds don’t like mulch over the top of them so keep the soil bare until the plants are a bit bigger. You can read more about mulching wildflower seeds in my previous article.

Insect hotels are a great way to attract beneficial insects and add interest to your garden.

Find a range of bee attracting seed mixes at your local nursery or hardware store.

Insect hotels in your garden – Summary

Insect hotels are a fun way to add color, interest and get kids involved in gardening in a different way. Find out what bugs are living in your garden by giving them a hotel to live in and see what bugs move in. They will be great for your vegetable garden and I love watching them make a new home in my insect hotel.

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