Under construction

Work on the 'insect hotel' in the orchard at Dancersend Nature Reserve started this week. I use this term rather than the widely used 'bug hotel', which drives me wild! 'Bug' should be used for what it actually means - insects of the order Hemiptera - not a sloppy generalised term for almost any invertebrate, imported from the States. Our construction aims to provide nesting sites for a wide range of insects, but especially the important pollinators, bees and wasps. Each member of our volunteer group will have the chance to construct their own 'room' in the hotel, filling it with suitable materials to attract insects. They will then be able to monitor what insect families take up residence. It could get quite competitive!