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How to make a bug home

Matthew Roberts

Wilder gardens: Shelter

How to add shelter to my garden

Home sweet home

Providing shelter for wildlife in your garden is a great way to encourage animals to use your outdoor space all year round. Wildlife prefers shelters made from natural materials, so keep them simple and organic. Be inspired to set up some inviting parts of your garden to welcome in many different creatures.

Below we have some ideas for you to bring more shelter for wildlife to your outdoor space.

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Photo shows a clearing in a forest with a pile of logs on the left side
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How to make a log shelter

Log piles are perfect hiding places for insects, providing a convenient buffet for frog, birds, and hedgehogs too!
A golden-bloomed grey longhorn beetle resting on a pink flowerhead
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How to make a beetle bucket

Providing a patch for beetles is a great way to encourage balance in the garden and boost biodiversity
A red-breasted carrion beetle, with its distinctive red pronotum, standing on a folded over leaf
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Build a beetle bank

Beetle banks are used to boost insect diversity and natural pest control - but you can build one in your own garden!
Hedgehog
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How to make a hedgehog house

Providing hedgehogs with a home is a great way to help hedgehogs and means you’re much more likely to see them in your garden.
Buff-tailed bumblebee
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How to build a bumblebee nest

Bumblebee numbers have declined in recent years. Building this nest will encourage them to nest safely in your garden.
How to make a bug home
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How to build a bug hotel

Bug hotels are easy to make and provide a safe place for them to shelter over winter.
Cedar Manor - insect house
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How to make an insect hotel

Insect hotels make a nesting and hibernation aid for insects and promote diversity in your garden.
Common Green Lacewing
Information

Minibeasts spotter

Use this guide to help you identify minibeasts.
Pile of leaves
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How to build hidey holes

Learn how to build hidey holes for hedgehogs, amphibians and other minibeasts.
Frogs enjoying a pond
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How to build a hibernaculum

Hibernaculums provide a safe space for reptiles and amphibians
oak tree keaves in autumn credit Ben Porter
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How to grow your own oak tree

Oak trees create a haven for wildlife and boost biodiversity.
Common pipistrelle bats
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How to make a bat box

Build your own bat box and give a bat a safe place to roost.
Image of children holding a bird box credit Paul Harris/2020Vision
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How to build a bird box

With natural nesting sites in decline, adding a nestbox to your garden can make all the difference to your local birds.
A top down view of magazines and guides on a wood background, with wildlife and people images on the front
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