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12/01/2008


my photo

INSECT HOUSE

This is a photo which I took on our visit to Durrell formerly Jersey Zoo back in September 2007, I believe it to be an insect house?

An insect house is a great addition to any garden, maybe on a smaller scale than the one above, as they provide shelter for many insects which include non-aggressive mason and leafcutter bees who are known to help with pollination around the garden and are also thought to help increase fruit yield? Also an ideal place for ladybirds and lacewings to overwinter too.

I haven't got one yet, but hope to get one up this year.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

I read about these insect houses some years ago and made a small simple one,four 6"wide x 12" long pieces of wood nailed into a square tube filled it with cut down garden canes.Wrapped an off cut of shed felt around it to keep rain off.Put it in corner of garden , take a look now and again , mine seemed to be filled with ladybirds and spiders.Perhaps i needed bigger canes for bees.

this is my patch said...

Thanks Steve for the instructions, I shall get him indoors on the case sometime during the year! You may need bigger canes for the bees, I shall have to investigate further.

Erica-Jane said...

Hellooooooo!

I too love Auriculas, although never knew what they were called. Funnily enough I was only describing them to my mum on the phone yesterday! She's bringing me some Primulas to brighten up the doorstep :0)

I hope your insect nest doesn't attract anything too hairy! Eeeeek..hee hee!

Erica
xxx

Naturegirl said...

Very interesting!! hugs NG

Anonymous said...

On your side-bar, you asked who could hold a spider . . . i don't know but i think maybe i could!

Let me tell you a little story, a true story.

My girlfriend had a visitor to her home. It was a very BIG spider with BIG pincher legs/mouth ( i don't know which, but scary!!)
Her husband shooed it out.
The next day a second BIG spider came to visit inside her home. (when i say BIG, i mean as big around as a fried egg, that size!)
So she put it in a glass jar and tried to find out what kind of a spider it was.
3 days went by and she was feeling sad, did not want to kill her (my friend now called the spider a "she")
So my friend went for a walk into the countryside and took the spider in the jar with her. When she go far far from her home, she opened the jar and let the spider out. At first she was sluggish, but soon that spider-lady scampered away, safe and sound!

(((Hugs))) Becky

Crafty Green Poet said...

This is an impressive insect house! I've only ever seen smaller ones.

Cowboys and Custard Mercantile said...

Hi Louise
I gave a bee box to my mother in law for Christmas along with a Hellebore.. she was over the moon with her unusual present.
We have a small colony of ladybirds hibernating in our living room.. in fact I was going to do a blog about them..
I feel very privileged to have their company for the winter.
Mx

Lesley Todd said...

That insect house is very attractive and sculptural isn't it? You could make a real feature out of it. I think I will have to have a go at this at some point. Such a great idea. x

VP said...

That is some insect house - it's condominium sized! It puts my bamboo canes inside a plastic bottle to shame!