Everyone loves a good puzzle!
Here’s a bit of fun that will keep the children happy for a while. And when they’ve completed the challenges, why not go for a walk and see how many of the insects they’ve identified you can all spot?
Have fun!
Category: Free resources and ideas
At Homes for Bugs we’re all about encouraging as many people possible to get interested in the wonderful world of bugs and to look after the environment – and by sharing these free resources we’re hoping that more of you than ever will be creating wonderful new homes for the wildlife in your gardens, schools and workplaces.
Please share your creations to our social media pages too – we’d love to see them!
Have fun making bug houses
At Homes for Bugs we build bee hotels and bug houses out of rescued wood – but not everybody has the tools to do this so we’ve put together a short video to help to build your very own bug houses from things you have lying around the house.
Watch this short video that we’ve made to find out how to easily create homes that the bugs in your will love – and all from recycled materials too!
Have fun.
What do bugs do for my garden?
Insects play such an important part in keeping our gardens healthy.
Since we started making bug houses, one of the most common questions we get asked is: “Why do I want bugs in my garden?” Well, many bugs help our plants to grow by pollinating them, these beneficial insects keep the soil healthy and they naturally control garden pests that feed on our favourite plants.
Whether it’s bees and butterflies pollinating our flowers, fruit and vegetables or ladybirds and lacewings keeping the aphid population under control, beneficial bugs are crucial to keeping your garden healthy.
But which insects are the good ones? you can see from the great infographic below that bees, ladybirds, spiders, lacewings. earwigs, ground beetles and ants are ‘helpful’ bugs and should be encouraged into our gardens.
Source: Fix.com Blog
How can I attract more bugs into my garden?
Now you know how good bugs are for your garden you’re probably wondering how to attract more of them.
Many gardens now are so well kept that beneficial insects are finding harder to find natural spaces to rest, nest and shelter. A few simple changes can really help them.
Make a log pile to attract beetles and ladybirds and create pond to lure dragonflies, water beetles and pond skates. Piles of rocks or upside down flower pots make great homes for ground beetle, centipedes and spiders and if you grow a wide variety of flowers you’ll have a really good chance of attracting bees, butterflies, lacewings and hover flies.
If possible, leave an area of your garden to grow ‘wild’. This will encourage bugs (and other wildlife) to visit your garden.
If you’d like to give the bugs in your garden a home they’d be proud of, why not take a look around our online shop at our individually designed, handmade bug houses?
Why should I have a bug house?
Now that you’ve read little about what ‘good’ bugs do for your garden you could be thinking about getting outside and helping them to thrive…maybe you’re even thinking about getting yourself a bug house.
But why have an insect house?
Well, for a start your garden will love you for it. By giving insects like solitary bees, ladybirds, lacewings and butterflies somewhere to rest, nest and shelter you’ll be getting natural pest management and pollinators galore.
Aphids are the gardeners enemy and love to munch on your beloved plants. Encouraging beneficial bugs like ladybirds and lacewings into your garden will help to keep them under control – naturally.
Wildlife friendly garden
Bugs are key to creating a wildlife-friendly garden. The more bugs you have, the more insect loving wildlife you’ll attract too. You could see and increase in hedgehogs, bats and birds like blackbirds, robins, blue tits and wrens – and add a little water and you could soon see frogs and toads hopping around too.
But where do I put my bug box?
Warm and sheltered spots are generally thought to be the best places to hang your insect house. Attach it to a tree or fence post that faces the morning the sun and make sure that rain can’t pour into the bug house.
There’s no exact science (and no guarantee that your bug house will be full of inhabitants within hours of putting it up) so the best thing to do is to check it after a couple of weeks. If there’s no sign of any beneficial bugs, take a look around and find another warm and sheltered spot to try.
If you’ve decided that now is the time to give the beneficial bugs in your garden a brand new home, why not have a browse around our online shop and see if anything catches your eye.