Bugs play an important role in our ecosystem, where we and the bugs live. Explore this activity to create a bug hotel and attract beneficial bugs!

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Materials:

- Large Plastic Bottle

- Cardboard Tubes

- Scissors

- String

- Sticks

- Bark

- Pinecones

- Any other materials from nature you think bugs would want to live in.

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‍Procedure:

1. Cut the top and bottom of the bottle off. Then cut the bottle in half so you have two large tubes.

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2. Cut a long piece of string and feed it through one of the plastic tubes. Then tie the ends together.

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3. Fill the cardboard tubes with some of your nature materials.

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4. Arrange your cardboard tubes inside the plastic tubes. Fill any spaces with your other nature materials until everything is tight.

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5. Place the plastic tube with the string on a tree branch and place the plastic tube without a string on the ground.

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What’s happening? Your garden may be home to over 2,000 species of insects. Some bugs are considered pests because they destroy flowers and plants. Instead of using harsh chemicals to get rid of unwanted bugs, you can create a bug hotel that will attract

bugs that will control pests and pollinate flowers!

Observe! Who stopped by? Record what kinds of bugs visited the hanging bug hotel versus the one on the ground. Look out for these bugs!  

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Insect hotels can help replace the loss of natural habitats for bugs and give them a safe place to live. When there is a greater variety of bugs that have a home in your garden, it is called biodiverse. A biodiverse garden helps the ecosystem by providing a natural balance of beneficial bugs and bugs that are considered pests.

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