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wooden box filled with stems of sunflower, teasel and bamboo to make a solitary bee hotel.But that's no guarantee - wildlife can choose the most unpredictable places to live. This summer I visited some buff-tailed bumblebees nesting in a concrete path

Follow Chris Beardshaw's advice on helping garden birds in spring. He explains the different feeding requirements of young and adult birds, how birds can help with pest control and offers tips on positioning nesting boxes.springMore on garden birds

Create a haven and nesting area for garden birds, by watching Monty's guide to making a bird raft for the Berryfields pond.all year roundAttracting birds and wildlife into your gardenHow to make a bird boxInstalling a window bird feederMaking fat

Fix nesting boxes for birds to suitable trees around your gardenService petrol lawn mowers and power toolsKeep indoor azaleas well-watered with rainwaterMake fat cakes and hang them among roses to encourage bluetits to feed off overwintering pests

(apart from the human, of course). In the south of the UK it's estimated that around 80% of bumblebee nests in gardens are predated by wax moth* - perhaps because nests under sheds, in compost bins and bird boxes are easier to find than those hidden

or beneath sheds, while the common carder generally chooses thickets of long grass or compost heaps to nest in. But bumblebees will nest anywhere they deem 'suitable', including bird boxes, lawnmowers, concrete paths and old duvets.I’ve yet to encourage

Make a bird houseA nesting box is a great way of attracting birds into your garden in the spring and summer. It not only gives you the pleasure of watching them but also gives the birds a home close to plenty of garden insects to feast upon. Well

.More garden bird projectsBlog on feeding birds, by Kate BradburyMake a hinged nest boxHow to help garden birds in springInstall a nest box bird cameraMake fat cakes for garden birds

Give beneficial pollinating insects a home by making a bee hotel. The female of the non-aggressive mason bee species spends most of her life searching for hollow stems to use as a nest. So why not make a bee hotel for her in which she can lay her

.Clean and sharpen knives and secateursPut up nesting boxes for birds on suitable treesMove shrubs growing in the wrong placeAround the gardenCut down willows and dogwoods to their baseFinish taking hardwood cuttingsPlant bare-root roses, hedging, trees and shrubs