It's finally finished, the perfect insect hotel. You put a lot of effort into the construction and read carefully which filling material is suitable. Now you must not make the crucial mistake and align your insect hotel to the wrong side. Because although all other factors are correct, this point is a decisive criterion for a species-rich move into your insect hotel.
An insect hotel should face south
direction
Ideally, the openings of your insect hotel point to the south or south-west. This is how you guarantee the most hours of sunshine for your residents. If you observe the insects for a while, you will find that there is a lot of activity on sunny days. If clouds cover the sky, the animals prefer to withdraw. The newly hatched larvae also love it to be cozy and warm. If the blazing sun shines on the nest entrances, this helps the development enormously.
Note: Precisely because an insect hotel (€11.33) should be in the blazing sun, the casing must not be made of glass. The heat accumulates underneath, which means certain death for the insects.
Protection from wind and rain
However, you should also make sure that your insect hotel is not exposed to strong winds. Insects don't like drafts at all. Butterflies in particular then quickly take to their heels. These measures protect your insect hotel from moisture and wind:
- An insulated roof
- Heat-retaining filling material such as wood wool
- Location under a ledge
- Nail the bug hotel to a tree trunk
- Location in the lee of a hedge
approach lane
Not only the alignment of the approach path to the sun is important. The insects will only take shelter if you pave the way for them. This means that the approach path should not be obstructed by trees or walls. In contrast, the insects are less bothered by hustle and bustle nearby. It is therefore also possible to place the insect hotel on a balcony.
Bilateral opening?
An insect hotel does not necessarily have to have a back wall. Insect hotels, for example, are creative design options
- cans
- tree slices
- pallets
- or a wagon wheel
Since this form of housing is open on both sides in these cases, one side of the insect hotel is inevitably turned away from the sun. Here you should not try to find a middle ground, but expose one side to the direct sun and accept the shady spot on the other side. The residents will set up their own suitable compartment.