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Talkback: Homes for wildlife

Gardeners' World Web UserGardeners' World Web User Posts: 17,147
in Talkback
I have a hedgehog house and nesting box and both are being used,I have a single blue tit that roosts in the nest box over night and the hedgehog has been using his house everynight,he hasnt gone into hibernation yet,but will as soon as it gets a bit nippy.
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  • Gardeners' World Web UserGardeners' World Web User Posts: 17,147
    i to have 1 of thoses bumblebee nests and i havent got any nesting in it however my dad drilled some holes in a log for me and tied a piece of rope to it,i hung it up and within days i had some kind of bee [leafcutter i think] nesting in all the holes.'brill'.i also had bees nesting in a bird box but were sadly attacked by the silkmoth...[so i was told].
    i was told by someone in a garden centre that bug boxes arent worth buying either,and to try and do your own,but the odd thing is i to have a hedgehog house and im pleased to say 2nd year running now my hedgehog is back ..i like to think its the same 1 as last year.he/she is very very fat.


    kate,, i know its no way cold yet but today i found a dead frog in my pond....as i remember what you wrote about frogs and the severe weather last year.
    do you think it maybe the leaves???
  • Gardeners' World Web UserGardeners' World Web User Posts: 17,147
    Sarah's pondlife - lovely news about the hedgehog. I wish one would move into the one at my mum's. Sorry to hear about your tree bumblebees. Could it have been wax moth?

    Re your frog, it's very unlikely that it would have died from winterkill so early. Is it easy to get in and out of the pond? Was it harmed - could it have been attacked by a predator? I don't want to alarm you, but if you find more dead/lethargic frogs they could have a bacterial infection called redleg. This Froglife page could help you identify the cause: http://www.froglife.org/disease/identification.htm

    Fingers crossed it's just a one-off

    Kate
  • Gardeners' World Web UserGardeners' World Web User Posts: 17,147
    Kate, you are so right. It is not about what you buy, but how you build a habitat around it. If you grow plants that attract insects the insects will come. We got a bird box with camera from Hayle in Cornwall, but we had to make sure it had some cover. Result. The secret is in what is around it as well as the item itself. Thanks Kate for a great article.
  • Gardeners' World Web UserGardeners' World Web User Posts: 17,147
    I had a large (probably a Buff tail) bumble bee in my kitchen two days ago. I opened the door and it flew off. This was first thing in the morning as though it had spent the night there.
  • Gardeners' World Web UserGardeners' World Web User Posts: 17,147
    hi kate,the pond is easy to get in out out,as mum put lots of stones and things in it,it wasnt attack [mum checked] it didnt have redlegs so maybe a bacteria thing....will clean it all out.
    thanks for advice.
  • Gardeners' World Web UserGardeners' World Web User Posts: 17,147
    I have a hedgehog home and have 2 hedgehogs that have gone into hibernation now. I love them and hopefully will start a family!:)
    I am building a bumblebee home now because bees like to hibernate in a plant pot because they hibernate underground
  • Gardeners' World Web UserGardeners' World Web User Posts: 17,147
    I have had a ladybird house for a few years now but they all seem to be indoors!
  • Gardeners' World Web UserGardeners' World Web User Posts: 17,147
    I have two solitary bees nesters-both used within days of hanging them this summer-and a tit nesting box used every year. It seems to be habitat in the surroundings that is most important-easy access to nectar supplies for the bees and caterpillars etc for the tits.I think the houses are a bonus for them once they have secure food supplies.
  • Gardeners' World Web UserGardeners' World Web User Posts: 17,147
    The illustration is of a house more suitable for solitary bees, bumblebees tend to prefer a box with dry stuff like wood shavings/straw inside and the entry underneath or dry nesr the bottom
  • Gardeners' World Web UserGardeners' World Web User Posts: 17,147
    Wht aim to attract bumble bees when you can keep honey bees. You do not have to go for modern intensive beekeeping methods; you can very inexpensively have a Warre Beehive. Such a hive allows "natural beekeeping" in a low-impact, low-cost, chemical-free, sustainable, small-scale, "organic" way. You can build your own Warre Hive or buy one ready-made from companies like Natural Beekeeping.
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