Bug Hotel

Hotel in the Food for Thought Garden, SCBG.

Hotel in the Food for Thought Garden, SCBG.
Sue Watts, ©2024 SC Botanical Garden, Clemson University

We recently created a “bug hotel” in the South Carolina Botanical Garden. This is a fun project you can do too! But why? The short answer is that insects and other arthropods are under intense threat. Pesticide use, habitat loss, “clean or tidy gardening,” and more have all affected the arthropods’ ability to survive, let alone thrive. Did you know arthropods make up over two-thirds of all animals on earth? Many are critical to pollination, others for pest control and some are decomposers. All are the foundation of biodiversity as they often become food for other animals higher on the food chain. The goal of the hotel is to increase our biodiversity and foster a more sustainable ecosystem.

Our bug hotel offers numerous nooks and crannies to provide shelter for many small creatures to reproduce, hide from predators or hibernate over winter. Inhabitants may include solitary bees and wasps, beetles, spiders, myriapods (the many legged centipedes and millipedes) and roly-polys or pill bugs. A variety of natural materials are incorporated to attract different species. The list of possible materials is endless: bark, twigs, straw, moss, lichen, leaves, pinecones, and terracotta pots can all provide shelter and protection for a myriad of critters. Our native bumble and solitary bees require a little more attention to ensure the habitat you provide works for them, but there is lots of information online to help with this. Here are two helpful publications from the Xerces Society:

Nests for Native Bees

Nesting and Overwintering Habitat for Pollinators and Other Beneficial Insects

All in all, this is a simple project that can introduce you to the intriguing, vibrant and essential world of bugs while enriching your environment.

  • A bug hotel aims to increase biodiversity and foster a more sustainable ecosystem.
    A bug hotel aims to increase biodiversity and foster a more sustainable ecosystem. Sue Watts, ©2024 SC Botanical Garden, Clemson University

If this document didn’t answer your questions, please contact HGIC at hgic@clemson.edu or 1-888-656-9988.

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