A Bug’s Life: How to Build an Insect Hotel for Native Pollinators
As backyards get tidier and our gardens more curated, many insects—especially native pollinators—are losing the wild nooks and crannies they rely on for nesting and shelter.
Enter the humble insect hotel.
These handmade hideaways can offer native bees, ladybugs, lacewings, and other beneficial bugs a safe place to rest, nest, and overwinter—if they’re built with care. But not all insect hotels are helpful. In fact, poorly made ones can do more harm than good.
So today, I’m sharing a simple, bee-safe insect hotel design you can make at home with natural and salvaged materials—no fancy tools or shop skills required.
Whether you live in an apartment with a sunny balcony or on a block with room to spread, there’s a way to offer refuge to the ones doing so much for our ecosystems.
What You’ll Need
Most of this can be scavenged for the tip or reuse centre or gathered from your garden:
Untreated hardwood blocks or logs
Bamboo canes or hollow stems (cut to size)
Bark, pinecones, and dry twigs
A small wooden crate, drawer, or sturdy box
Wire mesh (optional)
Hammer and nails or a cordless drill
Sandpaper
AVOID plastics, softwood, or anything chemically treated. Moisture traps and toxins can harm insects.
Step-by-Step: How to Build a Bee-Friendly Insect Hotel
1. Choose the Right Location
Place your insect hotel about a metre off the ground, facing north (if you’re in Australia). It should get morning sun but be protected from harsh winds and heavy rain—under eaves, against a fence, or tucked into a hedge works beautifully.
2. Build or Repurpose a Frame
Use a wooden crate or box as your base. Ideally it’s at least 15 cm deep with a slanted or overhanging top to keep out rain. Make sure it’s sturdy—no one likes a wobbly home.
3. Prepare Your Nesting Materials
Bamboo and stems: Cut to 10–15 cm. Sand the ends smooth
Wood blocks: Drill holes between 3–9 mm wide, about 10 cm deep. Space them out and avoid drilling all the way through.
Loose fill: Stuff in dry pinecones, seed heads, rolled-up bark, or curly twigs. These create pockets for beetles and solitary wasps.
4. Pack It In, Tightly
Arrange your materials in little sections.
The tighter the fit, the better—it helps keep everything dry and draft-free.
SKIP glue or paint; they repel bugs and trap moisture.
5. Secure It and Mount It
Attach the hotel to a post, wall, or fence. Make sure it’s solid and doesn’t sway in the wind. You can add wire mesh across the front to keep birds out.
6. Observe and Wait
Native bees might take a little while to move in—it often happens the following season. But give it time, and you’ll be rewarded with important visitors who help pollinate your garden!
❌ What Not to Do:
Some common mistakes to avoid:
Don’t use softwood—it rots quickly.
Don’t glue materials in place.
Don’t let the structure move in the wind.
Don’t crowd holes too closely together
Don’t put it somewhere shady or damp.
Plant Something Nearby
Insect hotels are most helpful when paired with flowering plants. Even a pot of rosemary or a patch of native daisies can offer food alongside shelter.
If you’re keen to give it a try, I’d love to see your creations—reply here or tag me on Instagram. And if you found this helpful, consider forwarding it to a friend who might like to give the bugs a hand, too!
Happy Building
Rhi x