Insect Hotel Building Project

A wooden frame — an old crate, a pallet section, or a simple box built from scrap lumber

Bamboo canes cut to match the frame depth

Rolled corrugated cardboard

Bark pieces and wood chips

Pinecones

Straw or dried grass

Wooden blocks with holes drilled at various sizes (2mm to 10mm)

A drill with assorted bit sizes (adult operation)

Wire mesh for the front face (optional, keeps materials in place)

Start with your frame. An old wooden crate is ideal — it's already box-shaped. A section of wooden pallet screwed together with a back board works too. Size doesn't matter much: even a small frame (12 x 12 inches) makes a functional hotel.

Gather filling materials. Each material targets different insect guests: bamboo tubes attract solitary bees (mason bees, leafcutter bees). Bark and wood chips shelter beetles and ladybugs. Straw bundles attract lacewings (voracious aphid predators). Pinecone gaps house earwigs and spiders.

Pack the frame tightly in sections — one zone for bamboo, one for bark, one for straw, one for drilled wood blocks. Tight packing prevents materials from falling out and creates the small, dark cavities insects prefer.

Drill holes into wooden blocks at various diameters — 2mm for tiny solitary wasps, 6-8mm for mason bees, 10mm for larger species. Smooth the holes to prevent wing damage. This is the most important element of the hotel.

Mount the finished hotel on a south-facing wall or fence post at waist to chest height. South-facing catches morning sun, which insects need to warm up and become active.

Check monthly for signs of occupancy. Sealed bamboo tubes (capped with mud or leaf pieces) mean solitary bees have laid eggs inside. Silk threads indicate spiders. Movement in bark crevices reveals beetles or earwigs.

Solitary bees are the target residents. They don't sting (they're not hive bees), they're incredible pollinators, and they need nesting sites desperately as natural dead wood disappears from managed landscapes.

Replace bamboo tubes and drilled blocks every two to three years. Old material can harbor parasites that harm bee larvae.

Avoid painting or varnishing the hotel — chemicals deter insects. Natural, untreated wood is best.

This project has genuine ecological value. A single insect hotel can support dozens of solitary bee species, each one pollinating your garden more effectively than honeybees. Your child is building essential infrastructure for local biodiversity.