Protecting species in your own garden
What makes a good insect hotel
Insect hotels come in different shapes and variations.
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With an insect hotel, garden owners can actively do something against the death of insects. This should be taken into account.
Pesticides, exhaust fumes, agriculture, infrastructure: Human interference in insect habitats is making it increasingly difficult for the animals to survive. According to WWF, 40 percent of all insect species worldwide are now threatened with extinction; in the past 27 years, global insect biomass has declined by 76 percent. And that has consequences: flies, beetles, bees and the like are important building blocks of the food chain and also ensure the survival of people.
With an insect hotel, garden owners can make their own contribution to offering the animals a safe space. Insects such as wild bees use such insect hotels primarily as a nesting aid. How do you recognize a good insect hotel and what do you have to pay attention to?
The ideal place for the insect hotel
However, such an insect hotel will only be accepted by the animals if it is set up correctly. For example, it should be made of materials that are dry and untreated. The location is also crucial: Insects like it protected from the weather, but they also need it to be sunny and warm to nest. They also need a clear approach path. The optimal location for the insect hotel is therefore a southeast or southwest orientation.
Like humans, insects also attach great importance to a good breakfast when choosing a hotel. They prefer places that have food and water sources nearby. Flowering plants, flowering trees or orchards are ideal. Also practical: If you have to struggle with aphids, you should install the insect hotel close to the affected plants. Certain insects eat the lice.
This must be taken into account when setting up
Tubes or holes in hardwood or clay as well as tubes made of plant stems or paper are suitable for filling the insect hotel. The tubes should be at least eight centimeters long and three to six millimeters in diameter.
It is also important that they are free of cracks, sharp edges and protruding chips. They should also only have one entrance. Holes in the wood should always be made in the direction of the grain of the wood. Experts advise against compartments with pieces of bark, pine cones or wood shavings.