The 4th Milton Regis Cub Pack, Sittingbourne
Station Adopters for Sittingbourne Station
On Saturday 21st February, the Cub Pack gathered at Sittingbourne Station, bringing with them dried sticks and pine cones they had gathered the week before, in special preparation for their making of a bug hotel.
As a group, accompanied by KCRP Project Officer Vicky Wright, they travelled the short train journey to Teynham Station, and were ready to start their Bug Hotel Creation by 10.30am.
Teynham station is a familiar place for this special Cub Group. As station adopters, a year ago back in March 2025, they visited the station to see the four yellow bird boxes they had made installed on the trees, and hung bird feeders to further encourage the birds to settle there. Making Birdboxes for Teynham Station
This year they were back but with a different biodiversity focus to boost the populations of mini beasties!
Using the Kent Wildlife Trust instruction guide on “How to build Bug Mansion”, the Cub Leaders set about levelling the ground of the location previously agreed with Southeastern for the bug hotel, while the cubs further searched for dead sticks and twigs near by to fill the bug hotel.
Led by Cub Leader Antonia Boorman, a wooden palette was laid down with bricks placed on top. Luckily the bricks she had sourced were airbricks ideal with the holes providing an excellent structure for insects to live.
The Cubs set about filling the space between the bricks with bamboo, dead wood and pinecones. Like laying a lasagne, this was followed by a sheet of cardboard, then the next wooden palette.
As we worked away these layers built up, creating a mansion 4 stories high! Along the way, the Cubs came across many creepy crawlies in the surrounding area, including one of the longest worms (reaching over 20 cm long) I’ve ever seen.
After 2 hours of working away, and enjoying the trains whizz by every 30 minutes or so, we were ready to secure our beautiful bug hotel with a final layer of chicken wire.
We look forward to seeing how it changes over the coming weeks and months as the cardboard rots down and the bugs and insects enjoy their new safe haven.
A big thank you goes to Southeastern and the Platform for Change initiative, to the Cub Leaders, Antonia, Chris, Ellen and Garry, and to all the Cubs for their hard and very satisfying work!
