Simple insect house

[pigletwillie]

Whilst clearing out the post Christmas rubbish from the workshop I found some damaged bamboo canes in the kindling pile that had been used in the greenhouse last year.

I cut them into 6" sections with a hacksaw and have tied them into sideplate sized bundles with wire and left a loop so that they can be positioned about the plots as insect houses for lacewings etc.

I just ensured that all of the ends were open and just used a nail to open up any blocked bits of cane. Twenty minutes work left 4 insect houses ready to be hung in place, hopefully to inhabited by lots of greenfly eating lace wings.

I shall plant some lacewing friendly plants nearby.

[supersprout]

What would those lacewing-friendly plants be?

[pigletwillie]

SS, anything that attracts greenfly I suspect would be lacewing friendly so probably nasturtiums for starters.

Heelllppppp!!

[smallblueplanet]

Don't most of the 'insect houses' used by the insects, lace-wings, mason bees, etc only get used for them to overwinter in? Our lacewings seem to use the inside of our metal shed eaves as a B&B for winter.

[rustylady]

Apparently tansy, fennel and dill attract lacewings (see http://www.grinningplanet.com/2005/0...ol-article.htm for more planting ideas)
I wondered why I've never seen any lacewings on my plot...apparently they're nocturnal. So there you go.

[madderbat]

Lovely idea PW.

Mr MB used our old wooden bread bin to create a space at the allotment for friendly creatures. It was supposed, potentially, to be a hedgehog house, but nobody told the hedgehogs yet!
He threw away all the old canes on our site during his 'parentally induced' manic tidying phase, before I got him conditioned to recyling properly. Never mind, we keep a lot of things lying around now, so under the rotting wood, buckets boxes and bits of everything I hope we're building an ecological space for nature. Will keep an eye on the skip for thrown out pea canes though!

[smallblueplanet]

Here's a really cool idea for a different type of 'insect house' MB.

"The stag beetle, Britain's biggest native beetle, is a globally threatened species, protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act of 1981, and listed as a priority species for the UK and London Biodiversity Action Plans. The number of stag beetles has been in decline since the 1940s.

The primary factor in their decline has been attributed to the loss of appropriate habitat – dead wood. The stag beetle requires dead wood to complete its lifecycle, as larvae feed on it for up to seven years before emerging briefly, usually in May, as mating adults."

stag beetle info - pdf


Bury Buckets 4 Beetles


stagbeetlehelpline.co.uk

[dexterdoglancashire]

PW - I bought my father in law one of those little houses for fathers day! He was very amused! He loves gardening and wildlife, but I think even he thought "what on earth?!". He put it up in his garden and my neice Ella was able to watch all the insects etc. during the summer. DDL

[smallblueplanet]

Well I never did make my stag beetle bucket, maybe this year. I see from the map there are a few stag beetle sightings in Wiltshire.

Anyone else making insects 'houses'?

ps Mods/Admin would be great if we had a seperate 'Nature' forum.

[HeyWayne]

Well I never did make my stag beetle bucket, maybe this year. I see from the map there are a few stag beetle sightings in Wiltshire.

Anyone else making insects 'houses'?

ps Mods/Admin would be great if we had a seperate 'Nature' forum.

I won an insect house (for ladybirds, lacewings and bees) as part of my MOM-dom. I have plenty of old bamboo canes so I'll more than likely make some like piglets and have them dotted about. I have a pile of old dead wood that I cut from the apple tree last year, no idea if anything has taken up residence though. I've also got some old bricks and tiles left in stacks that will hopefully house something.

[pigletwillie]

My bug hotel seems to have plenty of spiders in it but then it is in a fairly exposed position, I have made a few more and put them by the shed.

Here is a picture of the original in action.

[smallblueplanet]

Thats well cool PW, you could make them to sell I reckon!

We've a bought 'bug hotel' that didn't see much action last year, where they are sited seems to be important. I thought I'd put it somewhere a bit protected, but I think the insects took that to equal dark and gloomy - they need to be in sun I think. I've not checked our homemade one for a while, its down the bottom of the garden. I'll hunt it out and check it tomorrow cos the year before last it had lots of its holes blocked up with mud and occupied.

[Seahorse]

ps Mods/Admin would be great if we had a seperate 'Nature' forum.

I know it's been mooted before but just to add my voice to the crowd!

[nick the grief]

I was told of a way of making a DIY version the other day involving some corrugated cardboard , straw and a large pop bottle

[smallblueplanet]

Well give us a clue then NTG cos that piccy sure doesn't (not your usual standard!)