'˜Bug hotel' bonanza at nature reserve

Staff want to create a safe place for insects and animals to sleep, breed and hibernate, and are aiming to beat the current world record of 10 cubic metres.

The bug hotel will be built using corrugated boxes, filled with foliage from the centre’s visitor’s gardens and parks.

Centre manager Nick Brooks said: “We are going to ask 1,000 of our visitors to each fill a 25cm square box with logs, branches, bamboo canes and pine cones – basically anything you can find in your garden, local parks or here at the centre – this will make the world’s largest bug hotel at more than 16 cubic square metres.”

All of the boxes will then be placed into a wooden frame that has a base of bricks, slate, logs and branches to create the hotel.