For my birthday a month ago I got a do it yourself insect / bug hotel. I call it my own hive 2.0 and I hope I will get a lot of guests. So this will be my blog for the curation-cat Snibby and @isaria contest and I think this is an original entry and i hope a piece of art, so lets have some DIY fun. And maybe i can inspire you to make or buy one yourself, if so let me know i would love to see your blog about it.
The sun is shining and the temperature is rising. You can already see the first insects flying around. A big bumblebee, a lemon butterfly, a ladybug ... They emerge one by one from their winter home. Now is a great time to hang insect hotels. Insectdso explains how to make an insect hotel or bee hotel yourself with simple materials, all in a wooden recycled wine box. Of course you can go to the store to buy an insect hotel. They come in all shapes and sizes. But why not make your own hotel with this box or from what you already have in your house or in your garden? An old tree stump, stems or fallen twigs, for example. It is not very difficult and you recycle material that you might otherwise would throw away.
But who do you make an insect hotel for? With the making of an insect hotel you might think of (wild) bees. But there are many more small animals that like to crawl away in such prefabricated shelters. Butterflies, lacewings, ladybugs, parasitic wasps, woodlice, earwigs ... All these animals need different types of spots to shelter and reproduce. And while they take a room and board I can make #amazing nature blogs about the wildlife in there. Gotta be smart with your blogging.
You have bees that live in groups and make large nests where they take care of the young together, such as bumblebees. But most wild bees live solitary, in solitude while they are alive for the time they are here. They usually build their nests underground, in wood or in a stem. That is different for every species. Most wild bees lay their eggs in corridors. It goes like this. The female lays an egg in the hallway and adds some food to it. Then she makes a kind of wall and lays the next egg. This continues until the corridor is full. The young bees hatch in the spring. The first is always a male. It will hang around the nest until the females hatch. He then fertilizes them. The fertilized females then fly away to find their own nesting place. The circle is round.
And now it's time to get started! Apparently you can buy various types of insect hotels for wild bees i didnt find the card which one i got. But when you do it yourself. You can make such a hotel very simple by drilling different types of holes (2 to 9 mm diameter) in a block of wood or tree disc. Make the holes nice and deep but do not drill through the wood. The back must remain closed. Do not splinter the wood too much, otherwise the bees will damage their wings. It does not matter which wood you use, for example oak, maple, ash, beech or alder. As long as it is not impregnated, it must all be natural and clean. Hang the insect hotel in a warm, sunny spot in your garden. I still have to find the best spot.
As you can see the materials in my DIY package, that are the things you need to fuind in your shed home or the store. Do you have some old bamboo sticks in your garden or shed? Or maybe you have large grasses in your garden. Cut such a stem in half. Is it hollow? Then you can use it well to make an insect hotel. Stems of reed, elderberry, blackberry or Japanese knotweed also work very well. Cut the stems into pieces of at least 18 cm and make sure that one side is closed. Tie the bamboo sticks together or put them in, openside to the front. I have different sizes.
You know of those bricks with holes in them.? Apparently the are good to use aswell, i dont use brick though. Wehen you do I read to put the stones in on its side and build a nice wall in your garden. You can fill the back with some soil or clay. Wild bees watch their nests. For other types of wild bees, make a hotel with clay. Finish the box with wire, ik have to but U nails to put it tight on the wood, they werent in the package. And I have to buy a hook to hang it.
In the package there were fake yellow flowers, a long piece of wood with little holes, pinecones, woodchips, bamboo, wool, cork ( you needed to cut that in little pieces ) , clay pots 6 pieces, wire andwood bark. and a ribbon and a piece of wood to make a hotel sign hahahaahah
The blog by Snibby? For all you interested here is the blog go there now and enter :
The finished new hotel, as I said I still have to get a hook to put it outside and I will promise to take picture when the first guests arrive. I had so much fun doing this this was a great present for my birthday. That’s my DIY hotel hope the curation cat Snibby and @isaria both like my blog. I know its not music, or poetry but i like to think its art.
I am a proud member off the #theTerminal #powerhousecreatives #needleworkmonday and #payitforward and #steemitmamas. Co founder for @theterminal, @heyhaveyamet and @steem-aide
(c) All images and photographs, unless otherwise specified, are created and owned by me. @brittandjosie originals. Sources used : Pixabay and Pexels and with others its mentioned in my blog. I only use a canon camera and my iPhone.
I would like to thank you for reading my blog, feel free to leave me any feedback, if not, read you next time.
Are you under 500 HP or SP , want to win prizes or delegations? Than you can enter the REDFISHRALLY, go to @theterminal blog and see what its all about.
Date : 5th June 2020
