Lady Bug House

This is a low embodied energy habitat project for housing and encouraging lady bug populations.  The project is constructed from reclaimed cedar fencing material and 2" screws.

Embodied energy is the energy that goes into the materials and construction, primarily the focus of embodied energy is reserved for non-human energy expenditures - meaning hand sawing a piece of wood would not add any embodied energy according to the socially acceptable definition.  

I purchase wind and solar power for my home so I have decided to use a power saw and drill to create these boxes, so the embodied energy is in cutting the wood, screwing the box, and drilling the holes.  This project is capable of being having zero embodied energy - all wood can be hand cut, boxes can be screwed together by hand, and holes can be made using a hand drill.   
 

Step 1: Select Material

You will be using used material for this project, so expect some imperfections and unique features.  Select a used fence board that has enough solid sections to complete the project.