http://www.inspirationgreen.com/insect-habitats.html I think I remember someone here mentioning having one of these and I want to make one this spring. If you have one could we see a photo and hear a bit about how it was built? Please? Please? Pretty Please....with sugar on it?
Hi Toni--I have a very, very simple set-up here.--Just blocks of wood with various-sized holes drilled into them. The hotel was devastated by woodpeckers twice. Now I have had to construct a wire cage around the front of it to keep the woodpeckers from getting at it. I notice that it is not as well-used as earlier. I do not know if it has to do with the w'pecker attacks or the wire gauze. I have not seen the woodpecker now for more than a year, so perhaps I will remove the "cage" this year.
Hiya Mart. These are used by solitary bees and wasps. The woodpeckers use it as a restaurant. Even in this pic you can see places where they have torn chips away from the holes trying to get in. Later the chip-pecking got worse with large pieces being removed.
A book I was reading yesterday mentioned that if a woodpecker comes across a piece of wood with a hole in it they will start working to make the hole larger so they can nest in it....since pecking holes in things is what they do. And other crevice nesting birds will do the same so it suggested giving them a 'starter' home by drilling a hole in a section of a dead limb and hang it on a post or other tree for them to work on. We have a couple of woodpeckers so I was thinking about giving that a try too. I want to make one that will give ladybugs, lizards and other 'good' critters a place to hide from predators, set up housekeeping and protect them from the elements. I know there will be not so good critters take up residence too but one of the hotels I saw has a covering of chicken wire that has holes too small for them.
Hmm I might have to try that too Toni for the woodpeckers Ive seen, it would be awesome to have them in the yard! Those bug houses are amazing too, might try something like that
Yes Toni...I can see that you would want different types of "hotels" for critters there. I would like to have some for butterflies and ladybirds as well. Perhaps this year. Your project is an interesting AND helpful thing to do. Good luck with it. Please do let me (and us all) know what you come up with.
