“Insects, worms, and other small animals that carry out vital functions for life on earth have declined by 45% average over 35 years, threatening human, water quality and food supplies…”
-Steve Connor, “Vital invertebrates decline 45 percent, study finds,” independent.co.uk, July 201
Our class has been asked by the DNR to develop housings for insects in order to help combat a drastic decline in their populations.
Research
Declines in insect populations have become all too evident around the world and it is having multifaceted effects on other parts of nature. Many insectivorous birds are experiencing declines in their populations as their food supplies are diminished, and then the carnivores and omnivores who are higher on the food chain are also being affected. Many of these declines in insect population are associated with agricultural pesticides which seep into the surrounding areas from farmland, deforestation and suburban construction in what would otherwise be common breeding grounds for many “good” insects, and our use of home and yard insect repellents and pesticides have diminished their existing populations in many other areas.
Ladybugs, and most other insects, hibernate during the winter, preferring dry, small spaces that will protect them from the drastic changes in temperature. Hay is an excellent insulator for small spaces and is an optimal spare food source for early Springs. Other insects prefer damp spaces, so upward- facing holes and crevices pact with leaves may be an ideal living space. Communal insects prefer spaces that will protect their colonies from the elements, but will still provide enough sunlight so that their brood will have the necessary amounts of heat to survive. Considering the diversity of insect life, whether winged or not, there needs to be an assortment of levels that should be inhabitable on our insect motels. Whether they are ants, bees, or beetles, they should be able to access some sort of living space on our motels.
Ideas and Concept
For my insect motel, I wanted to create a something that would carry a statement. Thus began the idealization of the “Frankentree”. The idea was to play off of the idea of returning wood to the forest, emboldening the irony of manufacturing a solution to save nature. This gave rise to the concept of an imitation tree, one with four-by-four branches and big bolts, with a thick, central log to form the trunk. This structure would provide housing for mainly bees and ants, and would remain untreated so that insects would be able to carve and tunnel more of the structure out themselves, allowing for natural growth.
Gathering of Materials
In order to be more eco-friendly with this project, I acquired the main log for the assemblage off of my own property from an already felled tree on my property. This large oak had been struck by lightning some years ago, and after being dead for some time it finally fell by itself. However, in this natural occurrence it became a nuisance to its neighboring trees and in fact had been damaging a young pine. Therefore, I decided to segment the trunk down so that it would no longer be harming the nearby trees, taking with me a section that would best serve as the pillar for my creation. The rest of the four- by-fours were purchased from a local lumber yard and were specifically chosen because they were untreated pine. This means that they are soft enough for insects to tunnel through, but will be sturdy enough to provide structure for at least a decade.
Processing
To begin construction, I first prepared my trunk piece by removing all of the bark and softer outer wood from it. This was accomplished using a drawknife, taking nearly 3 hours to remove all of the unwanted material. I then sanded down the surface and squared up the bottom so that it would stand properly. After taking more measurements, I began drilling out the cavities where the bases of the branches would be inserted. This was done using a holesaw.
The work of the branches began with the removal of material from the four-by-foursto make the inserts that would attach it to the trunk. This was done by doing numerous passes on a chopsaw that had an offset. The branches were then drilled out in a pattern for the bee holes. A section was then removed off of the back of each branch using a band saw and then replaced with a back saw.
To surface the wood without making it repel insects, I decided to use a torch to scorch the surface. This would not only protect the outer layer of the sculpture from the elements, but would also enhance the visual texture of the wood grain.
After all of the pieces were properly scorched, trunk piece was fastened onto a base with lag bolts.
Reflection
At the completion of this project, I am happy to say that I am satisfied with my work and have accomplished my goal. My insect motel has been constructed robustly and will hopefully last for many years.
I am quite proud to have completed this piece and to have done such a fair job at it. I have not done any carpentry for some time and this was a good opportunity to explore the use of found and natural materials. I greatly enjoyed my time working through the design and doing a fair bit of problem solving along the way.
If I were to do it all over, I would have allocated more time to work on the base of the structure. In terms of the design, it stands out a bit too much and is not as well constructed as I would have liked. I desired a small amount of play in it as I wanted it to rest easily on any uneven surface, but a single lag bolt holding it together was probably not the best option.
Maintenance
Solitary or burrowing bees do not normally make the effort to clean out their burrows, which would normally make them single use. In order for the bee suites on the branches of the Frankentree to be reusable, they were constructed with back plates that can be removed so that a simple probe can be used to clean them out. Eventually, the wood screws used my wear down, at which point they should be replaced.