Imagine a wonderful hotel that offers a serene accommodation experience and, on top of that, doesn’t charge any fees. This opportunity that seems extraordinary for us is provided for insects. Insect hotels provide these tiny creatures with a comfortable environment.
It is possible to come across insect hotels in gardens, parks, school yards, fields, and even balconies. These “hotels” are structures that can be placed on suitable surfaces or hung on trees and walls, designed to serve as nests for beneficial organisms.
If we take a closer look at an insect hotel, we will be amazed by the diversity and harmony among these small creatures living side by side in peace. Among the residents of these hotels, you can find cute ladybugs, enchanting butterflies with beautiful wings, earwigs with large pincers and long antennae, delicate lacewings with green translucent wings (also known as golden-eyed hunters), wild mason bees, and hardworking honeybees.
There are important considerations to keep in mind when designing an insect hotel. One of them is the choice of materials used to construct the tiny residents’ rooms. Drilled round logs, pine cones, small twigs, plant stems, wood shavings, straw, and bricks are among the main materials used.
The location of the insect hotel is as crucial as the materials used. Insects love warmth, so the hotel should be placed in a sunny spot. Meadows, fruit trees, vines, wild plants, and flowers are the places where insects can enjoy unique delights created for them.
These tiny creatures, each possessing perfect design and remarkable abilities, dutifully fulfill their roles in the ecosystem without hesitation and offer us valuable lessons.
