Instructions
Ready to get started with this activity? To keep track of your progress, check off the instructions for each step below as they are completed. Make sure to check the box of the last step when you’re done to receive congratulations for your completed activity!
Consider this:
This project is a fun and creative way to create a home for a variety of arthropods. You can do this for fun or you could do this to see what critters use the various nooks and crannies you’ve created. Many of the materials can be gathered in your neighborhood or on a nature walk. Gather just bits and pieces found on the ground (nothing that damages habitats already in use!). After a while, carefully dismantle the bug hotel and take inventory of the invertebrates that use the hotel. Then choose to rebuild with new materials or they can remain on the ground in your yard or be composted (since the items inside are natural!).
- Milk jug
- Scissors
- Rocks
- Moss
- Dried leaves
- Tissue rolls
- Green and/or dried grass
- Twine
- Cardboard
- Dirt
- Sticks
- Bark
- Pinecones
- Cut a large hole in the side of a milk jug.
- Start by adding some rocks and dirt to the bottom of the jug once the side has been cut out.
Stuff the tissue rolls with:
- Twigs
- Leaves
- Grasses
- Add the other bits and pieces you found on your nature walk.
- Arrange them as you like.
Place this in your yard or garden area with the opening facing southeast. Keep in mind that it’s best to place your bug hotel in an area that gets some morning sun and afternoon shade. Also, remember:
-
- Too hot is not good for bugs.
- Too wet is not good for bugs.
Please do not leave this out in the wild – when we visit the woods or places in nature, it’s important that we leave no trace.
- A ladybug eats about 5,000 insects in its lifetime.
- Insects have the highest populations making them the largest group of creatures. How many can you find in your hotel? There are about 2 million species of insects out there.
- Insects live in almost every kind of environment and in every country in the world. There are even a few species that live in the ocean.
Congratulations, you're a PowerZone rock star! Ready to explore more games and activities? Let's go!
Explore More Games and Activities
