Bee and insect protection at school

Bee and insect protection at school

In Germany and other countries in Central Europe, the number of insects has declined drastically over the past 30 years: About 75% of flying insects have disappeared within the 27-year study period, according to the most relevant study on this topic in the journal PLOS ONE. Researchers see the main cause of the great insect die-off as intensive agriculture, where monocultures are predominantly planted and insecticides, pesticides and fertilizers are used. According to experts, the disappearance of flowering meadows and field borders also contributes to the problem.

Flying insects are not only important for maintaining biodiversity because they serve as food for birds and other animals, but also because feeding the world's growing population requires pollination of crops. Domesticated bees and wild bees are estimated to be responsible for up to 80% of pollination worldwide.

Fortunately, there are already some volunteer initiatives addressing the issue: In the Austrian province of Styria, the project "BEEwusstseinsbildung am Schulhof" (bee awareness in the schoolyard) was already launched in 2016 for bee-friendly care of the school garden. Similar initiatives have also existed for a few years at schools in Germany.

In these projects students can learn about the life of bees and the usefulness of insects in an application-oriented way. The main component of the initiative is the installation of insect hotels which were previously made in class.

Anyone who wants to provide a habitat for wild bees, bumblebees or butterflies in their school garden or playground can also contribute by sowing an insect-friendly flower meadow. Bees especially like mallows, daisies, bluebells and common kitchen herbs such as lavender, sage, oregano and thyme.

Sources:

https://www.business-biodiversity.eu/37057/Top-Metanavigation/Presse/Archiv/ebbc_index01.aspx?newsid=51759&newsrefid=37057&row=10&newsrefaddcoid=&nafrom=&nato=, (last access on 09/26/2021 at 1:30 p.m.)

https://www.lwg.bayern.de/mam/cms06/bienen/dateien/der_schulgarten_als_bienengarten.pdf (last access on 09/26/2021 at 08:15 a.m.)

https://www.muttererde.at/mutter-erde-news/wildbienen-hotels-und-bienentankstelle-alles-fuer-die-bienen/ (last access on 09/25/2021 at 9:20 a.m.)