Last updated on January 3rd, 2024 at 01:35 pm
We love all insects here at Revive a Bee, so we wanted to list some of the best bug hotels to bring your garden to life and help a wide variety of bugs and insects find their new homes.
A bug hotel is a predominantly wooden structure that acts as a residence for various insects, including:
- Solitary bees
- Butterflies
- Ladybirds
- Beetles
- Spiders
- Solitary wasps
- Woodlice
While each insect uses a bug hotel in very different ways, they can all benefit from the shelter created by these marvellous structures.
They act as a hub of activity as residents buzz around the local area foraging for nectar and pollen. So let’s dive in with some of your garden’s best homes for bugs and insects!
The 6 Best Bug Hotels For UK Gardens
We’ve reviewed the best bug hotels, so you don’t have to trawl the internet.
Any of our picks will be a perfect addition to a garden or wild place and will encourage a range of insects into the area.
So let’s dive straight in with our editor’s choice followed by some other fantastic options for any garden or budget.
Repeak Bug Hotel (Editors Choice)
This sizeable bug hotel is a great option for anyone who wants to help bees, pollinators and insects in their garden. We love the simple, minimal design and lovely natural green/grey colour used on the exterior.
It’s a perfect choice to attract:
- Ladybirds
- Butterflies
- Wild Bees
- Crickets
The overhanging metal roof will keep all your residents dry when the rain arrives, and its simple hang hook means you can have this hotel installed in as little as 30 seconds!
It’s important to note that this hotel is primarily geared towards solitary bees, focusing on bamboo nesting tubes perfect for mason bees.
This bee hotel manages to fit a whopping 60 individual bamboo tubes! The overall measurements, including the overhanging roof, are 40 x 28 x 8.5 cm, with each hotel weighing approximately 1.8kg.
Buddy Wild Wooden Insect Hotel (Budget Choice)
Without a doubt, the bargain option on this list, the Buddy Wild insect hotel, has been selling these hotels for nearly 4 years now with a myriad of happy customers (and residents).
This hotel keeps it varied regarding the potential nest sites it provides. A wide range of cavities with varying sizes makes it suitable for insects of all shapes and sizes.
The Buddy Wild bug hotel is made exclusively from wood, so you may want to add a few layers of varnish to ensure it isn’t affected by rot as time passes.
This is a fantastic option for someone looking for a hotel on a budget, but just be aware that you will need to treat the wood on this hotel to ensure it lasts the distance.
Wildlife Friend XL Bug Hotel
This model sports a natural wood look with a wooden roof to help protect against rainfall. It’s constructed from a mixture of pine and bamboo so it’s an all-natural construction but just like the hotel above may benefit from some treatment to extend its use.
We love that this one comes with some spare bamboo tubes! You’ll find that over time some of your bamboo tubes can become completely blocked and unusable by potential insects. In these cases, you can simply swap out the old tube for a new one making this a ‘modular’ bug hotel!
This charming inset hotel is 16cm x 16cm x 12cm and only weighs approx 1kg.
CKB LTD Bug Hotel
In terms of appearance, the CKB LTD Bug Hotel might just take the crown, this stunning hotel utilises wood bark on the exterior of the structure to really represent its connection to nature.
It utilises a range of woods for its construction including Firwood/Pine Wood, Bamboo and Pine Cones with a simple hanging hook at the rear of the unit for super speedy installation.
Grafix Jack’s – Paint Your Own Bugs Hotel
This is a perfect option if you want to get your kids involved and start to learn about the amazing world that inhabits your garden!
This hotel does require you to build it so if you’re looking to simply buy, install and forget this definitely isn’t the option for you. The hotel comes with 9 wood pieces, 26 wood pegs and bamboo tubes for the interior of the hotel.
Better yet the kit even includes a paint set so you’re all set to start getting creative as soon as it arrives at your door. Perfect for grandparents looking to enjoy time in the garden with grandkids or as educational projects for after-school clubs or community centres.
While this is a fantastic option to get kids involved this hotel really falls down on the build quality, the wood is quite flimsy and won’t last as long as the other more practical bug hotels on this list.
Navaris XL Wooden Insect Hotel
The latest unit on this list the XXL wooden Navaris insct hotel has plenty of room for a vast array of bees and other insects.
This hotel is perfect for all sorts of insects including butterflies, mason bees, lacewings and many other insects and pollinators. It sports an overhanging metal roof to give it protection from the elements and metal meeting to ensure no unwanted visitors can reach the insects within.
The hotel comes in at 23cm x 40cm x 7 cm so just make sure you have enough wall space and clearance to install this larger hotel.
Free Standing Bug Hotel
Last but by no mean least this free-standing bug hotel utilises a large rod you can drive into the ground to attach your bug hotel on to.
The hotel itself is 1m high with the spike providing the 1m clearance required to avoid predators. It’s important to note that you will need a suitable grass or soil area to drive your spike into. Try to find ground that doesn’t become waterlogged because it will affect the rigidity of the installation of the spikes.
Do bugs use bug hotels?
Yes, bug hotels are used by various insects or gardens in your wild space.
Some residents will only stay for a short time, while others will use a bug hotel to hibernate over winter and raise the next generation to stay for several years.
Where’s the best place to put a bug hotel?
Most insects prefer a warmer nest, so try to place your bug hotel facing south in the northern hemisphere and north in the southern hemisphere.
Install your bug hotel at least 1m from the floor to avoid potential predators at ground level.
How do you attract bugs to your bug hotel?
You don’t need to do anything to attract bugs to your bug hotel. The variety of small cavities is a natural lure for insects seeking shelter.
Avoid leaving sweet substances out to attract bugs; they can harm bees and attract an unwanted ant colony to the hotel.
Do bug hotels attract rats?
If you install your bug hotel at least 1m above the ground, you should avoid attracting nearby rats.
If you feed the birds regularly, avoid leaving lots of seeds or bird food on the ground, which is a perfectly suitable meal for rats.
What’s the difference between a bug hotel and a bee hive?
Bug hotels are passive. Once they’re installed, you don’t need to do anything else other than occasional cleaning.
Bee hives house honeybees and require regular management and maintenance to ensure the bees continued health.
If you’re considering keeping bees, check out our guide on starting beekeeping to find out more about this fantastic hobby.,
