SINGAPORE: Amid the year-end festive period, four new hotels were constructed in the Mandai district and are now open for business.
Visitors do not have to pay a single cent to stay in the swanky new wooden lodges, where there are no standard check-in or check-out times and they are free to come and go as they please.
The catch? These are "hotels" for insects.
Among the clientele are creatures such as bees, wasps, ladybirds and butterflies.
The facilities are not to be confused with the Mandai Rainforest Resort, which is for human guests and is set to open in April this year.
The insect hotel project is part of Mandai Wildlife Group’s continued efforts to build ecological corridors around the precinct, explained Mr Tan Shi Cong, manager of the group's horticulture department.
Other efforts to provide safe passage for wildlife movement include the Mandai Wildlife Bridge, which marked its fifth anniversary last year.
The Mandai district has seen rapid development in recent years as part of plans towards becoming a unique wildlife and nature destination. It includes Singapore Zoo, Night Safari and River Wonders.
The four insect hotels are situated around Mandai Wildlife West, a public space that serves as the gateway to Bird Paradise, which opened in May 2023 and replaced Jurong Bird Park, and the upcoming Rainforest Wild Asia, which will open in March this year.
The insect hotels are made from hardwood, with a water-based varnish applied, as insects are sensitive to smell and the water-based option has less odour, explained Mr Tan.
Pieces of bamboo stem and cut branches with holes drilled in them are placed in each hotel. Each unit also comes with a drawer compartment with grills, where tree bark and straw are placed to create a dry environment for butterflies and ladybirds.
“All of these materials are from our parks, mainly from Bird Paradise,” said Mr Tan.
The insect hotel is filled with bamboo sticks and wooden blocks to shelter insects. (Photo: CNA/Syamil Sapari)
This means that the source of the nesting materials, which have to be replaced at least once a year to prevent a buildup of fungus and mould, is self-sustaining.
Mr Tan's team plans to expand the project by installing more units within Bird Paradise itself.
The success of the project would be based on how many creatures nest and lay their eggs there, said Mr Tan, quipping that they are “our customers”.
His team surveys the plants and insects in the area at least once a week, he said.
Mr Tan shared that the entire process of creating the insect hotels took about five months, from doing research to the actual implementation.
While the physical construction and installation took only about three hours, most of the time was spent researching for the project. The team referenced case studies, such as an earlier National Parks Board (NParks) trial at its gardening resource hub HortPark.
“This insect hotel idea originally came from Western temperate countries, where they suggested letting the hotels face the sunlight, because this helps the bees and wasps to warm their wings in the morning,” said Mr Tan.
“But NParks found that in our weather, we actually do not need to let them directly face the sunlight. Just partially is fine, because our weather is quite hot.”
In return for their complimentary stay, the insects contribute to the surrounding ecosystem through pollination and pest control.
“The ladybug is a predator insect that helps us to consume all the pests to our plants, like spider mites, aphids and other fungus,” said Mr Tan.
Wasps also help to eliminate larger plant pests, such as grasshoppers and caterpillars, he added.
Meanwhile, solitary bee species, like carpenter bees and blue-banded digger bees, help to pollinate wildflowers and edible plants.
As for how long it will take for the insects to fully utilise the hotels, Mr Tan said he is unable to give a set timeline.
Mr Tan Shi Cong (right), a manager in Mandai Wildlife Group’s horticulture department, and a colleague collecting bamboo stems in Bird Paradise for the insect hotels. (Photo: CNA/Fabian Koh)
“But for now, we can already see a lot of bees, for instance, flying around our flowers. So we have the quantity, we have the species and diversity. Now we want to give them a chance or opportunity to nest,” he said.
There are also signs placed near the units to educate the public on what kinds of insects they could spot in them.
“According to our risk assessment, we need to keep the public at least 1.5m away (from each hotel),” said Mr Tan.
However after discussing with the park operations team, they decided it was better to install the units out of direct reach from the public, such as behind shrubs and vegetation.
Among the most crucial species which the hotels aim to help are the stingless bees commonly found in the Mandai precinct.
A carpenter bee, a type of stingless bee, pollinating a flower in Mandai Wildlife West. (Photo: Mandai Wildlife Group)
The bees play an important role in pollinating a wide range of plants, including Singapore’s native species, and can visit up to 100 species annually, said Mr Jagan Thanapal, head keeper in Mandai Wildlife Group’s animal care department.
So important are they to the ecosystem that Mandai Wildlife Group has a team dedicated to handling hives that appear.
It is part of ongoing efforts to preserve and protect key pollinators found in Mandai’s parks, starting with butterflies in 2018, and expanding to stingless bees the following year.
“Beehives are a common sight throughout our parks,” said Mr Thanapal.
“At that time, we discovered that there was a lack of expertise in relocating stingless bee hives within the Mandai Wildlife Reserve, leading to many hives being exterminated instead of relocated.”
They started building internal expertise within the team focusing on invertebrate creatures, which currently consists of eight people. They assess whether relocation is necessary whenever a hive is reported.
The team did about four relocations on average yearly between 2019 and 2023, said Mr Thanapal, who added during an interview in December that none had been done up to that point in 2024.
The stingless bees are generally not aggressive nor do they pose a threat to humans.
“Like any other animals, including humans, the bees will defend themselves if they feel threatened,” he said.
They use their mandibles to grab onto hairs, creating a nuisance by buzzing around and trying to entangle themselves in the victim's hair, rather than stinging, because their stings are too short to be effective, he said.
Their unique nesting behaviour also means the bees set up nests on man-made structures, trees and even rocky crevices, leaving them very close to the ground and hence vulnerable in the presence of human crowds.
“The vibrations, noise or physical disturbance caused by crowds, can stress the bees,” explained Mr Thanapal.
“Additionally, if a hive is in a high-traffic area, there is a risk of accidental damage to the nest.”
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Visitors do not have to pay a single cent to stay in the swanky new wooden lodges, where there are no standard check-in or check-out times and they are free to come and go as they please.
The catch? These are "hotels" for insects.
Among the clientele are creatures such as bees, wasps, ladybirds and butterflies.
The facilities are not to be confused with the Mandai Rainforest Resort, which is for human guests and is set to open in April this year.
The insect hotel project is part of Mandai Wildlife Group’s continued efforts to build ecological corridors around the precinct, explained Mr Tan Shi Cong, manager of the group's horticulture department.
Other efforts to provide safe passage for wildlife movement include the Mandai Wildlife Bridge, which marked its fifth anniversary last year.
The Mandai district has seen rapid development in recent years as part of plans towards becoming a unique wildlife and nature destination. It includes Singapore Zoo, Night Safari and River Wonders.
DESIGNING A HOTEL
The four insect hotels are situated around Mandai Wildlife West, a public space that serves as the gateway to Bird Paradise, which opened in May 2023 and replaced Jurong Bird Park, and the upcoming Rainforest Wild Asia, which will open in March this year.
The insect hotels are made from hardwood, with a water-based varnish applied, as insects are sensitive to smell and the water-based option has less odour, explained Mr Tan.
Pieces of bamboo stem and cut branches with holes drilled in them are placed in each hotel. Each unit also comes with a drawer compartment with grills, where tree bark and straw are placed to create a dry environment for butterflies and ladybirds.
“All of these materials are from our parks, mainly from Bird Paradise,” said Mr Tan.
The insect hotel is filled with bamboo sticks and wooden blocks to shelter insects. (Photo: CNA/Syamil Sapari)
This means that the source of the nesting materials, which have to be replaced at least once a year to prevent a buildup of fungus and mould, is self-sustaining.
Mr Tan's team plans to expand the project by installing more units within Bird Paradise itself.
The success of the project would be based on how many creatures nest and lay their eggs there, said Mr Tan, quipping that they are “our customers”.
His team surveys the plants and insects in the area at least once a week, he said.
Mr Tan shared that the entire process of creating the insect hotels took about five months, from doing research to the actual implementation.
While the physical construction and installation took only about three hours, most of the time was spent researching for the project. The team referenced case studies, such as an earlier National Parks Board (NParks) trial at its gardening resource hub HortPark.
“This insect hotel idea originally came from Western temperate countries, where they suggested letting the hotels face the sunlight, because this helps the bees and wasps to warm their wings in the morning,” said Mr Tan.
“But NParks found that in our weather, we actually do not need to let them directly face the sunlight. Just partially is fine, because our weather is quite hot.”
ATTRACTING A CLIENTELE
In return for their complimentary stay, the insects contribute to the surrounding ecosystem through pollination and pest control.
“The ladybug is a predator insect that helps us to consume all the pests to our plants, like spider mites, aphids and other fungus,” said Mr Tan.
Wasps also help to eliminate larger plant pests, such as grasshoppers and caterpillars, he added.
Meanwhile, solitary bee species, like carpenter bees and blue-banded digger bees, help to pollinate wildflowers and edible plants.
As for how long it will take for the insects to fully utilise the hotels, Mr Tan said he is unable to give a set timeline.
Mr Tan Shi Cong (right), a manager in Mandai Wildlife Group’s horticulture department, and a colleague collecting bamboo stems in Bird Paradise for the insect hotels. (Photo: CNA/Fabian Koh)
“But for now, we can already see a lot of bees, for instance, flying around our flowers. So we have the quantity, we have the species and diversity. Now we want to give them a chance or opportunity to nest,” he said.
There are also signs placed near the units to educate the public on what kinds of insects they could spot in them.
“According to our risk assessment, we need to keep the public at least 1.5m away (from each hotel),” said Mr Tan.
However after discussing with the park operations team, they decided it was better to install the units out of direct reach from the public, such as behind shrubs and vegetation.
CRUCIAL POLLINATORS
Among the most crucial species which the hotels aim to help are the stingless bees commonly found in the Mandai precinct.
A carpenter bee, a type of stingless bee, pollinating a flower in Mandai Wildlife West. (Photo: Mandai Wildlife Group)
The bees play an important role in pollinating a wide range of plants, including Singapore’s native species, and can visit up to 100 species annually, said Mr Jagan Thanapal, head keeper in Mandai Wildlife Group’s animal care department.
So important are they to the ecosystem that Mandai Wildlife Group has a team dedicated to handling hives that appear.
It is part of ongoing efforts to preserve and protect key pollinators found in Mandai’s parks, starting with butterflies in 2018, and expanding to stingless bees the following year.
“Beehives are a common sight throughout our parks,” said Mr Thanapal.
“At that time, we discovered that there was a lack of expertise in relocating stingless bee hives within the Mandai Wildlife Reserve, leading to many hives being exterminated instead of relocated.”
They started building internal expertise within the team focusing on invertebrate creatures, which currently consists of eight people. They assess whether relocation is necessary whenever a hive is reported.
The team did about four relocations on average yearly between 2019 and 2023, said Mr Thanapal, who added during an interview in December that none had been done up to that point in 2024.
The stingless bees are generally not aggressive nor do they pose a threat to humans.
“Like any other animals, including humans, the bees will defend themselves if they feel threatened,” he said.
They use their mandibles to grab onto hairs, creating a nuisance by buzzing around and trying to entangle themselves in the victim's hair, rather than stinging, because their stings are too short to be effective, he said.
Their unique nesting behaviour also means the bees set up nests on man-made structures, trees and even rocky crevices, leaving them very close to the ground and hence vulnerable in the presence of human crowds.
“The vibrations, noise or physical disturbance caused by crowds, can stress the bees,” explained Mr Thanapal.
“Additionally, if a hive is in a high-traffic area, there is a risk of accidental damage to the nest.”
Continue reading...