Entertain the kids with a bug tower, expert reveals

As entertaining the kids indoors can get harder over the Christmas holidays, one expert has revealed getting them outside into the garden and making a bug tower is a great way to keep things interesting.

In an article for the Daily Mail, Martyn Cox revealed providing a habitat for insects is good for gardens all year round, as the residents will aerate the soil and keep pests at bay.

A bug tower can also provide a convenient feeding place for birds, he added.

Mr Cox created his insect house by piling boxes on top of one another and filling each one with different materials such as straw, cane, logs, kindling and bricks.

Other suitable fillings include tiles, leaves, cardboard, pieces of slate, bits of bark and pine cones, he commented.

After a while, the horticulturalist said, the boxes will be home to a whole community of insects, such as beetles, frogs and toads, adding: "Ladybirds, lacewings, spiders, centipedes, woodlice and solitary bees can also take up residence."

Building a pond is a fantastic way of attracting wildlife of all shapes and sized into your garden, UKTV recently claimed.