“Insects, worms and other small animals that carry out vital functions for life on earth have declined by 45 per cent on average over 35 years, threatening human health, water quality and food supplies…”
-Steve Connor, “Vital invertebrates decline by 45 per cent, study finds,” independent.co.uk, July 2014
According to the Yale Environment 360 web- site studies have shown a dramatic decline of in- sects in many parts of the world. Researchers say that a variety of factors, such as habitat loss and monoculture farming, are to blame for this decline of insects, which are very essential to our ecosys- tem and to agriculture. Before this class I had no idea how dramatically insects were dying. I real- ized that there weren’t as many anymore but I didn’t realize how fast many of the species were deteriorating. At this rate, my children may never know what it’s like sit outside and wait to see the first blink of a firefly or the thrill of trying to catch a Monarch Butterfly.
Since beginning this project, I have become more aware of this drastic decline and want to help to regrow the population.
An insect motel is a small but great and creative way to help keep the insect population alive. For my design, I cre- ated a small city scape. I’ve been wanting to integrate a city scape this year in one of my pieces and I felt like this was the best fit. I used cedar boards for the main frame and filled each “house” with different materials I found in my grandfather’s woods, such as bark and leaves.
In the furthest left house, I utilized sticks to shelter any type of insect looking for warmth and protection such as beetles or spiders. In the two towers with the long holes in them, I placed strips of bark. These buildings are for butterflies and moths and the bark gives them something to clasp on to.
The leaves in the next building mimic the litter of the forest floor and provide a good home for many invertebrates. The dry grass in the last building is also creates a home for any insect looking for a place to burrow. The small pinecones on the top section of the last building are mainly for ladybugs; they like to have small crevasses they can hide in. The sculpture is meant to be elevated off the ground, which can be accomplished by steel poles or by being placed on top of rocks.
Below are links which can aid you in creating your very own insect motel:
www.wildaboutgardens.org.uk/thingstodo/inaweekend/- bug-mansion.aspx
www.inhabitat.com/diy-how-to-build-an-insect-ho- tel-from-found-materials/
Maintanence
There isn’t much to maintain on this sculpture. Just little things such as making sure there are plenty of leaves and grass in the buildings and just making sure the sculpture is still in good condition