It’s a bug’s life - How bug hotels can benefit your course
Often tucked into woodland edges or near wildflower areas, bug hotels are simple but effective tools that contribute to your course’s biodiversity, integrated pest management, and environmental credentials.
A bug hotel is typically a wooden frame packed with a variety of recycled materials: bamboo canes, drilled logs, pinecones, straw, bark, and bricks.
Each component offers nesting or overwintering habitat for different beneficial insects:
- Solitary bees (e.g. mason or leafcutter bees) use hollow reeds or drilled wood.
- Ladybirds and lacewings shelter in dry leaves and pinecones.
- Ground beetles, centipedes, and spiders prefer logs or loose bark.
Bug hotels require minimal investment, but they align closely with current sustainability goals promoted by The R&A and STRI, making them a valuable addition to any course’s ecological programme.
Why course managers should consider installing bug hotels
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Boost pollination for wildflower areas
Solitary bees - frequent bug hotel residents - are exceptionally efficient pollinators. Encouraging their presence improves the pollination of wildflower roughs, tree lines, and native plantings, helping maintain colourful, biodiverse habitats around the course. -
Promote natural pest control
Insects such as ladybirds, lacewings, and hoverflies feed on aphids, mites, and other turf pests. By providing a safe habitat, you reduce the need for chemical interventions - supporting Integrated Pest Management (IPM) approaches, a core focus of STRI guidance. -
Demonstrate visible sustainability action
Bug hotels are a cost-effective, highly visible way to showcase your environmental commitment to members, visitors, auditors, and sustainability partners. They’re especially impactful when paired with GEO Certified® reporting or biodiversity action plans recommended by The R&A’s Golf Course 2030 initiative. -
Support biodiversity and ecosystem resilience
STRI and The R&A both advocate creating small-scale, species-rich microhabitats to support wider biodiversity. Bug hotels contribute to this by offering refuge to insects affected by habitat loss and fragmentation, particularly in manicured landscapes like golf courses.
Installation and management: best practice
- Location matters: - Position bug hotels in sunny, sheltered spots, ideally facing south or southeast. Common placements include woodland edges, behind tee complexes, or near out-of-play wildflower meadows.
- Use varied, untreated materials: This ensures suitability for different insect species and avoids introducing harmful chemicals.
- Ensure good drainage and elevation: Raising bug hotels slightly off the ground prevents damp and extends lifespan.
- Annual maintenance is essential: STRI recommends refreshing materials each winter to prevent buildup of mold, disease, or parasites.
- Integrate into wider ecology plans: Bug hotels work best alongside other features like log piles, pollinator strips, and reduced chemical use.
Final thoughts
As highlighted in The R&A’s Golf Course 2030 roadmap, future-proofing golf course management depends on enhancing ecosystem services and increasing biodiversity. Bug hotels are a practical, low-cost solution that aligns with this vision.
Whether you’re seeking GEO certification, improving your IPM strategy, or simply showing leadership on sustainability, bug hotels are a small but effective step forward.