A wooden insect hotel, built according to the guidelines of the General Directorate of Environmental Protection, was placed in the courtyard of Building A.

The design and construction of the insect hotel, as well as the information campaign, was prepared by a second-year student of pedagogy with a specialization in preschool and early childhood education, Patrycja Mika, under the coordination of the President of the Ecology Committee at the APS, Dr hab. Ligia Tuszynska prof. APS, and the Vice-Rector, Dr hab. Anna Odrowąż-Coates, prof. APS. Congratulations on a great initiative!

The hotel was made exclusively from natural materials. The main structure is made of wooden planks, while the filling is made of materials of natural origin, such as reeds, bamboo, twigs, clay elements, cones, moss, stones, hay and straw.👍

Insects, especially pollinators, do not have an easy life in cities. Increasing urbanization, landscaping and pollution have a negative impact on their functioning.

In the face of these phenomena, it is important to take care of these beneficial creatures. We can support them, for example, by providing nesting sites by building and setting up special hotels for insects, such as solitary bees, in green areas.

Do insects need such hotels? Yes, because:

• Insects need shelter from rain, frost and predators to live. In the past, such shelters were basements, gazebos, thatched roofs and firewood storages.
• Particularly in spring, when insects lay eggs, the hotels are a safe place to breed.
• In summer, the hotels allow insects to stay overnight and take shelter, and in autumn they can find a place to spend the winter in them.
• Insect hotels located near human habitats also have a tangible benefit for us - more pollinating insects in our neighborhood means more flowers and fruit around us.

How can we additionally support insects in our area?

• Don't use toxic fertilizers and herbicides - they not only harm the soil and can contaminate the environment, but kill insects and other beneficial creatures!
• Plant honey-giving plants in the area - honeysuckle, phacelia, coneflowers, catnip, verbena. The garden will not only look beautiful, but will become a buffet for pollinating and honey-producing insects.
• On hot days, put a drinker for insects outside, near the house - they are thirsty too!
• Don't mow the grass often! Have you watched "Tall Tales from the Magical Garden"? Taller grass means more diversity of the insect community 🐝

If you would like to learn more about pollinators, please see the video here: video link and get familiar with the Life 4 Pollinators project: website link. 

If you would like to contribute more to the sustainability at our University, join the Attune Project: https://www.attuneproject.eu/ !