Welcome to your ultimate guide on building a DIY bug hotel for beneficial insects! At first glance, this bug hotel may look like a simple wooden block with tubes, but it’s an extraordinary habitat custom-designed to support solitary bees, predatory beetles, and other vital garden helpers. Not only is this project safe and kid-friendly, it’s also a powerful way to boost pollination and natural pest control in your own backyard.

Bugs are disappearing…

Let’s start with some not-so-great news. Bugs are disappearing all over the world: a review found nearly a 45% decline in global insect abundance since the 1970s. While fewer mosquitoes or ticks might sound appealing (less itchy bites? yes please!), a planet without these tiny engineers would be a truly terrifying place, the food web would unravel, and staples like apples, almonds, and many berries would vanish too, since around 75% of global crops depend on insect pollinators.

Now let’s talk about the good news. Despite these stark declines, there’s so much you and I can do right in our own backyards to give insects a fighting chance. Swapping out pesticides, planting native wildflowers and pollinator gardens, and yes, you guessed it, building a DIY bug hotel for beneficial insects are all proven ways to create havens for solitary bees, predatory beetles, and other crucial helpers. 

What is a bug hotel?

Ever wondered what a bug hotel actually is? Think of it as a mini-B&B for the garden’s hardest workers: pollinators and predator bugs. An bug hotel, often called a insect hotel or insect house, is a manmade structure crafted to mimic the natural nooks and crannies where insects nest or overwinter. Typically you’ll build one from untreated hardwood blocks with drilled holes, bamboo tubes, hollow stems, and other natural materials, all tucked under a little roof. When placed outdoors in a sheltered, sunny spot, a well-designed bug hotel provides safe “rooms” for solitary bees, lady beetles, lacewings, and other beneficial insects to raise young, rest, or take cover in bad weather.

What is a beneficial bug?

Okay, so what exactly makes a bug “beneficial”? In short, it’s any insect that helps your garden thrive, either by pollinating flowers or by keeping pest populations in check. Broadly, beneficial insects fall into three groups:

• Pollinators, like solitary bees and some wasps, that transfer pollen between flowers.

• Predators, such as lady beetles and lacewings, that feast on aphids, mites, and other crop-damaging pests.

• Parasitoids, like certain tiny wasps, whose larvae develop inside or on pest insects, eventually killing them .

Solitary bees, including mason, miner, and leafcutter bees—, re superstar pollinators. Unlike honeybees, they live alone, excavate or occupy pre-drilled tunnels, and often outperform honeybees in pollination efficiency .

Not all hotels are created equal

Just like us, bugs have preferences and get picky about their accommodations. If your bug hotel is stuffed with the wrong materials, the wrong guests will check in: think parasitic flies or paper wasps instead of gentle mason bees.

Avoid stuffing your hotel with:

• Pinecones

• Chunks of bark or wood shavings

• Random sticks, moss, lichen, or grass

• Seed heads or feathers

• Rocks, glass, or plastic

• Holes larger than 10 mm (⅜″) across

Studies and best-practice guides recommend simple, uniform cavities, clean bamboo tubes and hardwood blocks with smooth, appropriately sized tunnels, to maximize occupancy by solitary bees and minimize parasites.

By tailoring your bug hotel’s “rooms” to the needs of beneficial insects, you’ll roll out the red carpet for the garden’s unsung heroes and your blooms and veggies will thank you!

While some guidelines suggest keeping power tools to teens (around 14 years old), I’ve found that with step-by-step coaching, many children as young as eight can learn to drill safely. Younger kids will need more hands-on guidance; by ages 10–12, most can handle a small cordless drill under your watchful eye.

Power drill safety tips

• Demonstrate first. Show your child how to hold the drill, power it on and off, and drill into scrap wood, always wearing safety glasses.

• Protect their eyes. Safety glasses are a must. In a pinch, clear swim goggles will work.

• Secure loose bits. Tie back long hair, roll up sleeves, and wear closed-toe shoes.

• Clamp it down. Use a clamp or sturdy surface so the wood block can’t spin.

• Mind the heat. Drill bits heat up fast; remind kids not to touch a just-used bit.

Let’s make an extraordinary bug hotel!

This is a perfect kid-friendly project that sparks creativity and teaches tool skills, all while building a cozy retreat for pollinators and predator insects. Yes, it involves a power drill but guided risk isn’t a bad thing! Letting kids handle tools (with close supervision) builds confidence, fine motor skills, and problem-solving abilities.

Materials

• Untreated hardwood (Poplar, Ash, Beech, or Oak), ≥ 5 cm (2 in) thick

• Power drill + bits (3–6 mm / ⅛–¼ in)

• Sandpaper or a small electric sander

• Roof material (scrap wood, metal sheet, or aluminum pie plate)

• Screws, pencil, and clamp

Wood dimensions

Aim for a block ~10–20 cm (4–8 in) wide, 20–30 cm (8–12 in) tall, and at least 5 cm (2 in) thick. Hardwoods give smooth tunnels that solitary bees love—softwoods like pine tend to splinter inside .

Instructions

1. Get set up. Gather tools and materials, read through these steps, and choose a comfortable indoor or outdoor workspace.

2. Show your child how to drill. Let them practice on scrap wood first. Offer gentle correction on hand placement, drill angle, and trigger control .

3. Draw a design (optional). Sketch simple shapes (flowers, bees, rockets) or skip the art and drill random patterns. Both work!

4. Drill each hole but not all the way through. Use a 3–6 mm bit and stop ~4.5 cm deep. Wrap a piece of tape around the bit at the 4.5 cm mark as a depth stop. If you accidentally drill through, you can plug the back with wool or a cotton ball. Hole size and depth variety attract more species .

5. Drill lots of holes. Space holes ~6–10 mm apart. Vary diameters from 3 to 10 mm (⅛ to ⅜ in) to suit different solitary bees and other beneficial insects .

6. Sand the entrances. Smooth each hole entrance with sandpaper or a sander so no splinters or sawdust block the way—bugs hate rough edges .

7. Attach a roof. Screw or nail on a small overhanging roof—scrap wood, metal sheet, or pie tin—to keep rain out .

8. Hang the bug hotel. Mount at least 1 m (3 ft) off the ground, facing east or southeast in morning sun. A clear flight path and stable mounting help solitary bees find and use it .

9. Clean and care. Each fall, clear debris from unused tunnels. If brood cells are sealed (solitary-bee larvae inside), move the hotel to a cold, dry place (garage or shed) for winter—then return it in early spring when larvae hatch .

I hope you and your little builders enjoy making and watching the magic of your extraordinary bug hotel. Happy bug-watching!

• Sánchez-Bayo, F. & Wyckhuys, K.A.G. (2019) Worldwide decline of the entomofauna: A review of its drivers. Biological Conservation 232: 8–27. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0006320718313636

• IPBES (2019) Global Assessment Report on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services. Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services.
  https://www.ipbes.net/global-assessment

• Main, D. (2019) “Why insect populations are plummeting—and why it matters.” National Geographic.
  https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/why-insect-populations-are-plummeting-and-why-it-matters

• Vance, E. (2011) “Native bees often better pollinators than honey bee.” University of California Research. https://vcresearch.berkeley.edu/news/native-bees-often-better-pollinators-honey-bee
• Nests for Native Bees (Xerces Society fact sheet):
  https://xerces.org/publications/fact-sheets/nests-for-native-bees 

• “All About Solitary Bees.” (2019) Edmonton and Area Land Trust., https://www.ealt.ca/blog/all-about-solitary-bees 

• Carlton, M. (2017) “How to Make and Manage a Bee Hotel: Instructions that Really Work.” The Pollinator Garden. 

• Teh-Weisenburger, J. (2017) “Insect Hotels: A Refuge or a Fad?” The Entomologist Lounge.  https://entomologistlounge.wordpress.com/2017/09/18/insect-hotels-a-refuge-or-a-fad/

• Westrich, Paul. “Verbesserung der Nistmöglichkeiten.” Faszination Wildbienen. Access date: 24 April 2022, https://www.wildbienen.info/artenschutz/nisthilfen_02a.php