Insects don't really make any significant demands on their home. It doesn't matter to the residents whether your insect hotel has a sloping or flat roof. After all, the focus of the shelter is on the use for nature and not on the look. An exception is the painting of your insect hotel. With the right choice of color you will attract even more types of insects into your garden. Read this article to find out what else you need to consider when painting your insect hotel.
Red attracts insects
Red attracts insects
If you want your insect hotel (€11.33) to be the focal point of your garden, then you agree with the animals that live in it. Many species of insects, especially lacewings, are attracted to red color. You are probably familiar with the (often annoying) phenomenon that insects constantly settle on colorful clothing. An insect hotel painted red achieves the same effect.
Use untreated paint
When procuring the paint for your insect hotel, you absolutely must pay attention to natural paint. The paint must be 100% free of chemical substances. There are two main reasons for this:
- Insects recognize treated paint by its smell and therefore avoid your insect hotel.
- Toxic ingredients kill the insects and their brood in no time.
It is also advisable to choose a weather-resistant paint that keeps moisture out. This will prevent mold from forming in the wood. Alternatively, cover the paint with a natural impregnation agent such as beeswax. This smell is familiar to animals.
repaint?
At an insect hotel that is exposed to the elements day in and day out, wind and sunlight leave their mark. The color fades or peels off. In short, the paint is off. Certainly a new coat of paint now created a more handsome look. But does this measure make sense? Only paint over your insect hotel when it is completely empty. Otherwise the insects will stick to the fresh paint. For the sake of the animals, you should accept the somewhat run-down look.