Creating homes for wildlife
Like you and me, birds, bats, bugs and beasties need homes. One of the biggest reasons for wildlife disappearing is too few places to nest, burrow, hibernate, rest and sleep. Make new homes to help stop the wildlife housing crisis!
In the section below we cover: the type of animal, what you can do, why it's needed, when it's best to install and where and more information on the topic.
Type of animals
What can you do?
Why it's needed?
When is it best to put it in?
Where?
More information
Bats
Put bat nest boxes in areas where you know there are bats.
Increase the number of bat roosts. Bats move around between roosts.
All year round.
Best: It's different for different species so check. Fix at least 4m above the ground.
Avoid: Places in reach of predators, or in full sun.
- Bat box building and installation guide.
- Use rough untreated timber or follow guidance.
- Do not disturb. You need a bat license to handle bats.
Birds
Put up nest boxes. Different species like different designs
Homes for birds. A shortage of nesting places limits the number of birds.
All year round. Birds nest in March.
Best: Different for different species so check.
Avoid: In reach of predators, or in full sun.
- Make your own - designs for different species
- Use untreated timber.
- Clean out nests annually. Kill pests with boiling water.
Bumble bees
Make bumble bee nest boxes.
A place for the Queen bee to lay her eggs.
All year round. Queen bees look for nesting sites early in the year. They are the first, large bees that you’ll see in spring.
Best: Away from direct sun and strong wind e.g., under a shed or hedge or shrubs. Near a good nectar source.
Avoid: Seating and play areas.
Frogs, toads and newts
Build a hibernacula - a mound or pit of stones, logs and twigs covered with soil.
It's a safe, cool, dry place for them to hibernate over winter.
All year round (and used all year round).
Best: Part shade and sheltered.
Avoid: Areas in full sun or that become waterlogged
- Build a hibernacula.
- Once built, leave alone.
Hedgehogs
Make a hedgehog box.
It’s a safe place for them to hibernate over the winter months.
In 1950 there were 30 million hedgehogs. Today, there are fewer than 1 million in the UK.
All year round. Ready for use before November.
Best: Quiet, dry shaded area.
Avoid: People and pets and being near to roads.
- Build a hedgehog nest box.
- Keep the area looking natural. Wear gloves.
Minibeasts (invertebrates)
Make a bug hotel - a wooden frame to hold all sorts of natural materials, ideally with a waterproof roof.
Include sticks, canes, wood, stones etc.
Shelter for minibeasts (invertebrates)
All year round.
Best: A place that is both sunny and shady.
Avoid: Waterlogged ground.
Sollitary bees
A wooden frame, with a sloping roof to hold tubes or holes in wood.
Homes for solitary bees that nest in cavities.
All year round.
Best: sunny spot, sheltered from the wind. At least 1m above the ground. Near a good nectar source. Link to planting for pollinators
Avoid: places that get driving rain or close to play areas.
- Make a solitary bee nest box.
- Use tubes 2-13mm diameter, 100mm long.
- Pests can build up so replace tubes every 2-3 years.
Sollitary bees
Build a mound of bare, compacted earth.
Homes for ground-nesting solitary bees.
All year round. Bees nest from March onwards.
Best: A sunny spot, near to a good nectar source (meadows, waterways and woodlands).
Avoid: Paths, play and seating areas.
- How to create a bee bank.
- Carefully cut back vegetation in autumn.
New homes for us and wildlife
When we build new homes for us, we can include space for wildlife too. Here are some examples of things to include:
- Nest boxes for bats and birds in our houses. They can be external or internal with access through designed bricks e.g., swift nest boxes
- Rainwater ponds, water butts, permeable driveways and raingardens. These features can be designed for wildlife, but they have the added advantage of helping to manage the flooding that we are experiencing with climate change.
- Increasing greenspace and wildlife corridors by linking up verges, hedgerows and treelines with the countryside. This will allow wildlife to move more freely. On a smaller scale you could create hedgehog highways between gardens.
- Street and garden trees to provide shelter and cool the area.
- Changing how often we mow to create wildflower meadows or undisturbed longer grass and shrub areas.
