Making A Bug House

Last year I started growing my own vegetables and was amazed at the extra wildlife it brought into the garden. This year I wanted to attract even more so decided to build a bug house or bug hotel. 

I had some old pallets in the garden so I thought I would use some wooden slats from them to make the bug house. First I had to brake the pallets up and I used this braking bar to do it

https://amzn.to/3dtRFSo

Next was the job of getting all the nails removed. A claw hammer is my weapon of choice for this. 

A bug house could be any size or shape but I wanted to make mine tall and with a pitched roof. I used the table saw to get all the parts cut. I then got it put together using some exterior wood glue and galvanised nails so they would not rust. 

I added the pitched roof because I like the look of it but it could be made much simpler. Just a box with some shelves or dividers would work just as well. 

With all the bits nailed together I decided to go the extra mile and add a aluminium roof to the bug hotel. 

I went out foraging for different bits to fill my bug house. They all attract different creatures and here are some great links to nature charities that do a great job of explaining it. 

https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/blog/2019/09/how-to-build-a-bug-hotel/

https://www.rspb.org.uk/get-involved/activities/nature-on-your-doorstep/garden-activities/build-a-bug-hotel/

https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/actions/how-build-bug-mansion

I have a bandsaw so I used that to get a lot of the bits a had gathered cut to the size of the bug house but a hand saw would work just as well but it might take a little longer. 

With al the bits cut to length and holes drilled in some I could start filling up the bug hotel. All the long thin bits I wedged into the cubbies but some other bits needed some wire mesh to secure them. 

Thats it all done please watch the video bellow for a lot more information about how I built this. Now I just have to wait for my first guests to check in.