An insect hotel is easy to make and is 
a great activity to do with the kids.
There is no set design, so be creative and let your imagination run wild. You can recycle a range of materials lying around the garden, such as untreated timber, branches, tree stumps – anything that you can drill holes in to create homes for the insects (remember not to drill all the way through).

Dried hollow bamboo, piles of twigs and bricks also make great homes for good insects. The simplest insect hotel can be made by stacking a few of these on top of each other to create a shelter.

The example I use here utilises an empty food can and some bamboo.

MATERIALS REQUIRED:

Empty food can, 
tape measure
, bamboo stakes of various diameters, cutting tool
s, pliers
, tie wire.

1 – Measure the depth of the can, and then place it on its side.

2 – Cut the bamboo stakes into pieces that are the same length as the depth of the can.

3 – Stack the bamboo pieces inside the can, open ends facing out, until the can is full.

4 – Wrap tie wire around the can to form a loop, so the insect hotel can be balanced and suspended.

5 – Position the can horizontally in a spot above the ground within the veggie patch.

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Text and images extracted from Growing Food The Italian Way by Fabian Capomollla, published by Plum, RRP $44.99, available now. For further information please visit.

Check out Fabian’s WEBSITE and INSTAGRAM.