Hi Hedgie Lover
If you pile the sticks and branches contained by something (could just be between 2 bushes, even) so that the pile won’t collapse, it should attract insects/spiders. It’s best you wait until they are no longer sappy, but apart from that it should be o.k. Even sappy ones would eventually dry out.
Probably best not to take materials from a wood – you might accidentally be destroying some natural habitat there. Someone is bound to have some susitable materials from their gardens which they might be willing to let you have.
