Helping Garden Wildlife Through Winter

For gardens without much bare soil to spare, a ready-made shelter is a simple addition. Many gardeners start with bee hotels positioned in a sheltered, sunny spot close to nectar-rich planting.

Food choice should shift with the seasons. High-fat foods such as fat balls and suet blocks suit the colder months, when birds need extra energy to maintain body heat. During the breeding season, softer foods and mealworms are more useful, since adult birds feed these to chicks that cannot yet manage tougher foods. Sunflower hearts work well year round and avoid the mess of husks left by whole sunflower seeds.

Winter is one of the harder seasons for garden wildlife. Natural food becomes scarce, cold weakens smaller animals quickly, and many species rely on undisturbed shelter to see them through to spring rather than active foraging.

Not every beneficial garden insect lives in a hive or a colony. Many UK bee species are solitary, nesting alone or in loose aggregations, and www.gardenwildlife.com insects such as lacewings and ladybirds shelter individually or in small clusters, particularly over winter. An insect house gives these species something a tidy garden often lacks: safe, undisturbed nesting and overwintering space.

Different nematode species target different problems. Some are used against slugs, others against vine weevil grubs feeding on plant roots in containers and borders, and others against chafer grubs or leatherjackets damaging lawns. Because they are pest-specific, the right choice depends on identifying which pest is actually causing the damage.

Hedgehogs are one of the most recognisable mammals to visit British gardens after dark, often covering a surprising distance, sometimes a mile or more, over a single night as they forage. A garden that offers a route in, something to eat and somewhere quiet to rest is far more likely to see repeat visits than one that is sealed off and tidied within an inch of its life.