More clutter in the garden and park is good for bees

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The bee has become a symbol of the death of insects. Diseases and pesticides devastate animals and threaten the valuable pollinator role they perform. On May 20, World Bee Day, researchers, environmental and beekeeping associations draw attention to the plight of animals.

Leave more green space

Especially in cities, the population can do a lot for bees, especially wild bees like bumblebees or mason bees, which live alone as opposed to honey bees. Gardens, parks and balconies in the city offer many small sources of food: there is always something blooming between early spring and late autumn. Different bee species meet different needs, as bee researcher Peter Neumann of the University of Bern explained in an interview with the Keystone-SDA news agency.

“For example, wild bees such as bumblebees are already foraging for food in early spring. Honeybees still need good pollen and nectar in late autumn to survive the winter,” says the researcher. Therefore, garden owners should avoid large gravel and concrete areas and have their lawns turned into flower meadows. should very rarely mow at least some of it.

Urban green spaces can be designed to be much more insect-friendly if there is less focus on short-cut grass and more on flowering meadows. “I hope for further advances in aesthetics: A flower meadow buzzing with bees and butterflies is actually more beautiful than a boring, short cut lawn,” Neumann says. You can keep some of the grass short and leave other parts more open to nature to provide space for barbecuing or lounging in the park.

Bees need nesting sites

Another point that will promote the biodiversity of bees in the city is suitable nesting areas. Here, too, it would be good to have more clutter in gardens and parks: Dead wood and open soil, as well as rotten trees and local hedges, offer wasps opportunities for nesting holes.

First of all, there must be nesting opportunities near food sources, Neumann said. “We humans find the long commute tiring. What good are the most beautiful flower meadows for the bumblebee if there is nowhere to nest far and wide?»

Insect hotels and wasp boxes can help, but you need to read a bit, the bee expert says. In particular, wasp boxes should not be too clean. Bumblebees like such a nesting area most if a family of mice has lived before.

Do not use toxic substances

First of all, garden and balcony owners should avoid pesticides. “Almost all agents on the market have a broad-spectrum effect. What is good for ants in the garden and on the balcony is also good for bees.» Undesirable effects on insects other than the targeted insects are unavoidable.

Neumann sees a positive development in recent years, with many private individuals exploring beekeeping for themselves and keeping less honey for honey and less for the joy of animals. However, beekeepers can sometimes keep animals more suited to their species and better take into account the needs of the bees. Good beekeeping training is also necessary to properly combat the Varroa mite infection that all bee colonies in Europe suffer from.

(SDA)

Source : Blick