 In this video we will learn how to build an insect hotel. This is a small house made up of different compartments which are open at the front and which can accommodate a wide range of insects. They are an essential part of biodiversity and invaluable assistance for the eco-friendly gardener. Ladybirds, lacewings and earwigs are, for example, very good at getting rid of aphids where other insects such as wild bees and butterflies contribute towards pollinating trees and plants. In order to attract insects to your garden and maintain the balance of the eco-system we suggest building an insect hotel which will serve as a place for the insects to hibernate and for the larva to develop. To make one like this example we will need planks of untreated wood, screws or nails, dry pine cones, bamboo stems, twigs, straw, sticks roughly 3cm wide, 1.2 inches and 9cm long, 3.5 inches, dead leaves, wire mesh and bricks. We will also need a clamp, a tape measure, a pencil, a set square, a saw and a drill or hammer. Here we will construct an insect hotel at its 53.5cm tall, 40cm wide and 10cm deep, containing six compartments. Measure, cut and assemble the 12 planks of wood to the correct dimensions. Here you will need a board 40 x 10cm for the bottom, two boards, 36 x 10cm for the interior horizontal partitions, and two others measuring 12 x 10cm for the interior vertical partitions. One board 15 x 10cm for the upper partitions, and another measuring 15 x 15cm for the butterfly compartment. Two planks measuring 51.5 x 20 x 30cm, two boards 28 x 10cm for the sides, as well as two final pieces of wood measuring 29.5 x 15cm and 32 x 15cm respectively for the sides. Screw the sides to the base. If the wood you are using is dense, you can pre-drill the holes to avoid splitting. Next, assemble the back panel of the hotel. Now screw the first horizontal partition and attach the two vertical partitions. Next, continue by assembling the second horizontal partition. Screw the two sections of the roof to the structure. Then put in the final upper partition. Finish by placing the small board on which you will previously have drilled an oval hole of about two centimetres diameter using a drill and jigsaw. We now have a small house with compartments which need to be filled. To make sure the pine cones and dead leaves don't fall out of their compartments, cover the front side with wire netting with meshes of about 1 x 2cm in diameter. Before placing the small logs inside the insect hotel, drill holes of around 5mm in diameter through them, providing solitary bees with space to deposit their eggs. Finally, scatter the different materials throughout the compartments. Your insect hotel is now finished. All that's left for you to do is to set it up and stands half a metre off the ground by resting on two large bricks for instance so that it doesn't take in any moisture.