Insects are vanishing at an alarming rate—but you can make a real difference. Whether you’re a guest at The Good Life Wales or just keen to rewild your garden, this guide is packed with easy, impactful ways to support pollinators and wild insects. Celebrate National Insect Week by learning how to help insects thrive in the UK, starting with your very own patch of land.
Why Helping Insects Matters
Insects are the backbone of a healthy ecosystem. They pollinate our crops, break down waste, feed birds, and build soil. Yet across the UK—including the Brecon Beacons—insect populations are collapsing due to habitat loss, pollution, pesticides, and climate change.
National Insect Week is the perfect time to act. Below, we explore how to help insects thrive in the UK with 12 practical actions you can take today.
1. Build a Bug Hotel
Create insect-friendly shelters with recycled wood, bricks, bamboo canes, pinecones and leaves. Bug hotels attract solitary bees, lacewings, and beetles—some of nature’s best pollinators and pest controllers.
- Place in a warm, dry, south-facing spot
- Layer with a mix of materials for different insect needs
- Ensure it’s sheltered from strong winds and rain
2. Plant a Wildflower Meadow
Native wildflowers are a top nectar source. Letting a lawn grow long or sowing wildflower seeds encourages a wide range of pollinators to visit. It’s one of the easiest ways to help insects thrive in the UK.
- Choose native varieties: oxeye daisy, knapweed, self-heal
- Mow only once or twice a year to allow flowering and seed drop
- Avoid chemical fertilisers—wildflowers prefer poor soil
At our Brecon Beecombs apiaries, we have created wildflower walks filled with plants, trees and hedgrows that attract butterflies, beesand many different types of insects.
3. Companion Plant for Pest Control
Organic planting techniques can both repel pests and attract helpful insects. Companion planting supports biodiversity while maintaining your garden’s health.
- Borage: draws bees and repels tomato pests
- Marigolds: repel aphids and attract ladybirds
- Dill: great for hoverflies and parasitic wasps
This boosts your vegetable yields and offers extra nectar sources to help insects thrive in the UK.
4. Add a Mini Pond or Bog Garden
Water features are vital for insect survival. You don’t need a large pond—a washing-up bowl, old tub, or sunken barrel will do the trick.
- Use rainwater, gravel, and native aquatic plants
- Ensure shallow entry points and flat stones for landing
- Plant around the edge to shelter visiting insects
Dragonflies, water beetles, and even thirsty bees will benefit.
5. Create a Native Hedge or Wildlife Border
Replace fencing or boring borders with layered hedges of native shrubs. These support nesting birds and provide food and shelter to thousands of insects.
- Try hawthorn, blackthorn, hazel, and wild rose
- Leave a 1-2m ‘wild margin’ where nature can flourish
- Don’t trim hedges in spring/summer—many insects are breeding
6. Be Proud of a ‘Messy’ Garden
Perfect lawns and over-pruned shrubs don’t help wildlife. Letting part of your garden grow wild is one of the simplest ways to help insects thrive in the UK.
- Leave leaf litter and deadwood
- Resist cutting everything back in autumn
- Leave long grass through winter for overwintering insects
It may look untidy, but it’s a sanctuary for hundreds of species.
7. Go Pesticide-Free
Even “safe” pesticides harm more than they help. Going organic protects pollinators and boosts natural pest control systems.
- Use garlic sprays, nematodes, and companion plants instead
- Encourage natural predators: frogs, birds, ladybirds
- Make your own compost instead of synthetic fertiliser
This supports soil health and ensures insect communities stay strong.
8. Provide Water and Basking Spots
Water isn’t just for birds. Insects drink too—and many enjoy sunbathing on flat stones or warm walls.
- Use shallow trays of water with pebbles for bees to land safely
- Position stones and logs in sunny spots
- Top up water sources daily in dry weather
9. Plant Butterfly and Moth Host Plants
Butterflies need more than nectar. Their caterpillars often rely on specific plants to develop properly.
- Stinging nettles: peacock and small tortoiseshell caterpillars
- Bird’s-foot trefoil: common blue and six-spot burnet
- Cuckooflower: orange-tip butterfly host
Adding these plants ensures the full life cycle is supported. This is essential to truly help insects thrive in the UK.
10. Support Insect Conservation Groups
Join or donate to groups working to protect insect habitats across the UK:
You can also sign petitions, write to your MP about pesticide bans, or join citizen science projects like BeeWalk or iRecord.
11. Invite Others to Get Involved
Raising awareness is just as important as rewilding. Get friends, guests, and neighbours involved!
- Host a “bug hunt” walk or family event
- Share insect facts on social media during National Insect Week
- Encourage kids to build bug hotels or sow wildflower seeds
12. Keep the Cycle Going All Year
Supporting insects isn’t just for National Insect Week—it’s a year-round job. Plan your gardening and actions by season:
| Season | Action |
|---|---|
| Spring | Plant nectar-rich flowers, clean bee baths |
| Summer | Deadhead for more blooms, leave water trays |
| Autumn | Build bug hotels, leave seed heads and mulch |
| Winter | Resist tidying up—let insects hibernate |
Conclusion: Celebrate National Insect Week by Helping Insects Thrive in the UK
From rewilding corners of your garden to ditching pesticides and building bug hotels, every action counts. The more we learn how to help insects thrive in the UK, the more resilient our environment becomes—for us, and for all the small creatures we share it with.
Whether you’re walking the woodland trails at The Good Life Wales or planting a mini meadow at home, you’re creating a future where insects can flourish again. And that’s something worth buzzing about this National Insect Week.
Follow our journey caring for our bees at Brecon Beecombs and all the new Apitherapy products and services our bees will be providing