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Install wildlife boxes for species at risk
The guidance on this page is for SFI pilot participants only. Please visit GOV.UK for the official Sustainable Farming Incentive scheme guidance.
Find out how land managers can provide nesting and hibernation boxes for dormice, otters, hedgehogs, solitary bees and other insects.
If you’re completing this action as part of the Sustainable Farming Incentive pilot, how you do it is up to you.
The advice on this page can help you get better environmental and business benefits, but you do not have to follow it to get paid.
About wildlife boxes
Installing wildlife boxes provides somewhere for species to rest, breed or hibernate. They can help maintain and increase populations. They can also provide somewhere to spot signs of, or even see, species that often stay hidden.
You can provide wildlife boxes to help:
- dormice
- otters
- hedgehogs
- solitary bees
- insects
The National Biodiversity Network Atlas can tell you if there are records of dormice, otters or hedgehogs in your area.
Find out how to put up nest boxes for birds or read more about bat boxes from the Bat Conservation Trust.
How to install wildlife boxes
You can buy suitable pre-made wildlife boxes or make them yourself. You can install them at any time of the year.
You should put wildlife boxes:
- near to suitable feeding habitats
- somewhere undisturbed
Dormouse boxes
Dormice use boxes for nesting. They prefer woodlands and thick hedgerows. Particularly where a wide range of shrubs, trees and other plants supply flowers, berries, nuts and insects from March to November.
Avoid putting boxes in isolated trees. Put them in hazel, or other young trees and shrubs where branches interlink. This lets dormice move around without touching the ground.
Install boxes:
- in groups of at least 10, but ideally 50 or more
- 10 to 20 metres apart, and about 30 boxes per hectare
- near to honeysuckle if you have it, as dormice use the bark as nesting material
- well away from public footpaths, roads or other access routes if possible
- 1.5 to 2 metres off the ground, or at least 3 metres if there’s public access nearby
The access hole for dormouse boxes needs to face the tree. They need to be:
- made of untreated timber
- made using the People’s Trust for Endangered Species design specification
- attached to trees with wire covered with hose or rubber, to prevent damage to the tree
- cleaned out in October or November – do not clean out the box if you find a bat using it
Dormice and their breeding and resting sites are legally protected. You must follow Natural England’s advice on protection and licences for dormice.
To provide feeding habitat for dormice you can:
- manage scrub
- manage hedgerows
- follow your woodland management plan
Otter boxes (‘holts’)
Otters rest, sleep and breed in their holts.
Suitable sites for otter holts are:
- sheltered and undisturbed
- not accessible to livestock
- next to or connected to rivers, wetlands or wet woodlands, which they use to hunt in
- above the winter flood level, so they are not flooded or washed away
- away from lakes or ponds used for fishing
You can make an otter holt out of logs and smaller branches. Holts need to have:
- at least 2 entrances, with at least one leading to the water’s edge
- 2 chambers of around 1 metre square each
You can create the holt using logs that are at least 30cm to 40cm in diameter. Cover the logs with tightly packed branches between 3cm and 10cm in diameter. Use small branches to fill any gaps. You can use wooden stakes or sheep netting stretched over the holt and fixed to the ground to keep the logs and branches in place.
Otters and their breeding and resting sites are legally protected. You must follow Natural England’s advice on protection and licences for otters.
Hedgehog boxes
Hedgehogs mainly use boxes to hibernate in. You can install hedgehog boxes in urban or suburban areas, as there may not be enough natural hibernating habitat.
In rural areas, instead of installing a box you can provide hibernating habitat by:
Hedgehog boxes need to be:
- in a quiet, shaded area ideally under shrubs or thick vegetation
- where there are leaves or straw for bedding, unless you plan to provide them
- placed with the entrance facing away from north, north-east and cold winds
- made from untreated material
Hedgehog boxes should have an entrance that is 13cm wide by 13cm high and follow the British Hedgehog Preservation Society design specification.
You do not need to clean boxes, as hedgehogs will reuse boxes that are not cleaned. If you want to clean your box, do it in late March or early April. Do not clean a box if a hedgehog is using it.
Boxes for solitary bees
You can install nest boxes for solitary bees in any urban or rural location.
Put solitary bee boxes:
- in dry, sunny and sheltered places
- on a building, fence or post
- at least 1 metre from the ground
- near to wildflowers, which provide a source of pollen and nectar food
Solitary bee boxes need to have at least 4 sections packed tightly with drilled blocks of hardwood, bamboo stems, reed stems or paper drinking straws. You’ll need to replace plant stems and drinking straws every 2 to 3 years.
Boxes should be:
- made of untreated wood
- weatherproof, with have small drainage holes in the floor
Find out more about creating solitary bee boxes from the Bumblebee Conservation Trust.
Insect boxes (‘insect hotels’)
Insect hotels can support a range of species. You can install insect hotels in any urban or rural location.
Insect hotels need to be:
- near to wildflowers, which provide a source of pollen and nectar food
- on firm, level ground
- away from crops or vegetable beds and in areas not accessible to livestock
- at least 1 metre wide by 1 metre deep, but not more than 1 metre high
- built in layers using untreated, natural or inert materials, like wood, straw, bricks, or roof tiles
Find out more about building insect hotels from the RSPB.
If wildlife boxes stay empty
It may take a few years for wildlife to find and use a new box. If your box is still empty after 3 years, try moving it to another location.
