Whether you're working on a large-scale development or hoping to improve the biodiversity of your garden, providing safe habitats for birds, bats and bees can help to minimise the impact of the built environment on nature. Providing roost or nest boxes will only be effective if installed in the appropriate manner for each species. If installed incorrectly, they can even be dangerous for an animal to use.

If you are having trouble installing your wildlife boxes, this quick guide will cover where and how to position them to achieve the best results, and avoid common faux pas.

Bat Boxes

There are 18 different species of bat that can be found in the UK and all have been known to use buildings in a similar way to how they would roost in natural habitats. The most common species found in buildings are crevice dwellers, such as Pipistrelles, so boxes built into the wall attempt to mimic these crevices.

  • Position with the entrance at the bottom
  • At least 3 metres high up the wall
  • Should receive some direct sun during the day, so ideally South or South West
  • Avoid bright, artificial lighting
  • Clear flight path for access

Swift Boxes

Swifts are a migratory bird species, travelling from Africa to the UK for summer to breed. Swift populations have been declining in recent years due to the loss of suitable nesting sites, so installing nest boxes can help to offset this decline and encourage conservation.

  • Must be positioned in landscape orientation, with the entrance either bottom left or bottom right
  • As high as possible under the eaves or over 5 metres
  • A North or Easterly orientation to shelter from prevailing wind and direct sun
  • A clear flight path below
  • Group nests together
  • Install a caller to encourage swifts to investigate the boxes and increase occupancy

House Sparrow Boxes

House Sparrows are known to readily accept nest boxes and can benefit from their availability, especially in urban or suburban areas where natural nesting sites may be limited. They are gregarious nesters, so boxes will often have multiple chambers.

  • 2 metres, or more, above ground level
  • A North or Easterly orientation to shelter from prevailing wind and direct sun
  • Not accessible by predators, such as cats
  • 32mm diameter or oval entrance
  • Group nests together

House Martin & Swallow Boxes

House Martins and Swallows are another two migratory species from Africa which build nests from mud and fibres, which take the form of cups. Although unsuitable for integration into walls, artificial house martin and swallow cups will often be specified for building work due to the species’ strong use of manmade structures for their nests during summer.

  • High, under the eaves or 2-5 metres high
  • Swallow nests are open at the top, so place under shelter or in an accessible building like a barn
  • A North or Easterly orientation to shelter from prevailing wind and direct sun
  • Not accessible by predators, such as cats
  • Group nests together
  • They can be messy, so a board can be used to catch droppings and cleaned yearly.

Robin and Wren Boxes

Robins and Wrens are common garden visitors and will readily take up residence in suburban gardens. Robin and Wren boxes may also attract wagtails, thrushes and blackbirds.

  • Use open or half-open fronted boxes
  • Tuck away in a climbing plant such as ivy or honeysuckle
  • Hang against a wall with the entrance turned to one side
  • Place low, about 1-2 metres high

Starling Boxes

Starlings were once a very common species in gardens, however their numbers have been in dramatic decline since the 1970s and as such is red-listed as a species of conservation concern.

  • A 45mm entrance size is needed
  • A height of at least 3-5 meters
  • A North or Easterly orientation to shelter from prevailing wind and direct sun
  • Not accessible by predators, such as cats
  • They are sociable but like to keep distance between nests

Bee Bricks

Of the 267 species of bee in the UK, 90% of them are solitary. Unlike honeybees or bumblebees, which live in colonies, solitary bees are independent and face the same environmental pressures as their social cousins. They are highly efficient and contribute significantly to the pollination of wild plants and crops. 

  • Replicate the holes created by mason bees and leaf-cutter bees
  • Include a range of hole sizes to suit different species
  • Either build-in or place 1m or higher up a wall
  • They must receive as much sun as possible, so a South-facing wall in the UK is ideal
  • Insect Hotels also include features for other beneficial insects such as butterflies, ladybirds, spiders and lacewings.

We hope this quick guide has been helpful to you while siting an installing your wildlife boxes! If in doubt, we encourage you to contact us, your ecologist or planning authority to ensure you are locating the boxes correctly according to the environment of your development.

If you'd like any specific product recommendations, check out our Building with Bats, Building with Birds and Building with Bees blogs.