Build a minibeast hotel

Create a home for minibeasts to provide hidey-holes for creatures galore. Building a minibeast hotel, wildlife motel or nature stack in your garden can provide a safe hideaway for wildlife and help make use of your garden waste.

This activity can be completed as part of Schools or Families Wild Challenge or Nature on your Doorstep and counts as the Helping Nature activity Homes for minibeasts (for Schools) and Build a bug hotel (for Families).

It needs to be level and the ground firm. You’ll get different residents depending on where you place your hotel, as some (like woodlice) enjoy cool, damp conditions, while others (such as solitary bees) prefer the sun. If you have vegetable beds, keep it a good distance away from them just incase you attract slugs!

You will need a strong, stable framework that's no more than a metre high. Old wooden pallets are perfect for a large hotel as they’re sturdy and come with ready-made gaps.

Start by laying some bricks on the ground as sturdy corners. Leave some spaces in between the bricks for critters to move in. Add three or four layers of wooden pallets on top of your bricks. If you leave larger gaps, you’re more likely to attract Hedgehogs.