Build a bug hotel with Sustainable Backyards

Kids with their finished bug hotels at a previous workshop

Pristine gardens and sustainable diversity are not always good bedfellows.

But that doesn’t mean they can’t be.

A bug hotel is a way of helping the insect world and a workshop in Te Puke at the weekend is an opportunity to construct one.

The workshop on Sunday is part of Envirohub’s month-long Sustainable Backyards programme.

“When a lot of people have quite pristine gardens and not a lot of build-up of garden debris, insects don’t tend to have a lot of good places to nest and that’s why we have these bug hotels,” says Sustainable Backyards co-ordinator Te Ara Dirkse.

The workshop has been run previously in Tauranga and Katikati.

A bug hotel under construction.

“It gives [insects] a bit of a messy corner that can be their home and the more different kinds of insects you have in your garden and in your neighbourhood the more sustainable diversity you have as well. It’s great for your gardens, encourages pollinators and things like that.”

The workshop will be at Giggles Te Puke Early Learning Centre.

“They are really cool and really interested in doing lots of environmental and community-based events as well which we really like.”

One of the goals of the workshop it to get children interested in gardening and insects.

“It builds their confidence because a lot of them haven’t used an electric drill before or even just hammers and nails which I thought people did quite early on but some of the kids really don’t have a clue about that sort of thing so it’s really fun to empower them and teach them that they can make all this stuff themselves.”

The $15 cost per bug hotel will buy all the materials needed to construct a bug hotel out of wood.

Event details: envirohub.org.nz/whats-on/

Tickets: https://events.humanitix.com/build-your-own-bug-hotel-9c9267mj