03/09/2026
Yesterday we had a really fun and successful bug hotel building course, run as part of our Green Skills Workshops that are free for the local community, kindly funded by Grannell Community Energy.
Our Nature Reserve Manager Chris taught participants about the different types of habitat needed for the different species of invertibrates they wanted to attract in their various life cycle forms, and he provided a selection of natural and recycled/reclaimed materials from Denmark Farm that could be put together to create unique bug hotels.
Our participants had different levels of skills - some complete beginners who had never held any tools before, and some on the other end of the scale who were quite proficient with power tools. Everyone came out with a finished bug hotel based on their own design, and they all had a go using the SDS drill, chop saw and a variety of other tools.
"I thought we would just be filling boxes with sticks in pretty patterns, and I am nervous of using power tools so I wasn't expecting to do that. So I am really pleased I came, because I've used tools I never would have had the confidence to try otherwise, and I had loads of fun doing it. I've learnt new things about identifying species in different stages, and enjoyed creating something that looks good and does something good at the same time. I am definitely going to come back for another course, can't wait!"
