Week 9 · Family project

Habitat you can build in a day

Edible Landscapes

Solitary native bees, lacewings, and parasitic wasps support pollination and pest control without stinging children at picnic tables. A bug hotel — framed box filled with varied tubes, bark, and drilled hardwood — provides nesting sites when old fence posts and hollow stems are scarce in tidy suburbs.

Mount facing morning sun, sheltered from driving rain. Height 1–2 metres — stable post or wall bracket. Avoid treated timber shavings inside nesting zones; use untreated hardwood and bamboo.

Build steps

  1. Frame a shallow box

    Recycled pallet wood or fence offcuts — back panel solid, front open for removable inserts.

  2. Fill with varied diameters

    Bamboo 4–10mm internal, drilled logs 6–8mm holes 10cm deep, bundled hollow stems — not all one size.

  3. Secure and tilt slightly forward

    Rain must drain — no pools at tube bottoms.

  4. Leave nearby flowers

    Hotels without forage are empty hotels — herbs and native flowers within twenty metres.

Clean tubes annually — replace mouldy bamboo; some species reuse, others need fresh holes.

Learning: Count filled tubes monthly with a tally chart. Research which native bees occur in your region via Landcare Research and iNaturalist NZ guides.

Do not import honeybee hives casually

Managed hives need training and consent on some land. Wild habitat supports native pollinators without extra management.

Pair with bird bath

Week 4’s shallow water source completes the habitat picture — insects and birds both need reliable moisture.