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Die Bestäuber in der Natur
Insects in our nature
Insects play an important role in our ecosystem: insect pollinators such as wild bees pollinate plants that serve as a food source for humans and animals. Ladybirds, crickets and aphids feed on the pesky aphids. Insects are also a food source for birds, bats and other animals. This ecosystem must not be disturbed.
Many beneficial insects are threatened. They are becoming increasingly rare in nature. Unfortunately, there are fewer and fewer nesting and sheltering opportunities in our agricultural environment. Let's create an insect-friendly environment. Let's create natural gardens, natural hiding places for birds and insects. Our children and nature will thank us.
Tips for keeping bumblebees
Location of the bumblebee house: Preferably where bumblebees are frequently found and there is an abundant food supply. The optimal location for a bumblebee house is in partial shade or in the shade of deciduous trees (which do not have leaves on them at the time of settlement). Take your cue from the open space.
In the vicinity of the bumblebee house there should be many dewy and dull trees, fruit trees or willows on which the bumblebees can collect pollen.
To protect the bumble bee house from ants, it should be placed on a base. This could be bricks, for example. It is important that the bumblebee house does not wobble and stands firmly. It is also important that the bumblebee house does not come into contact with grass or plants over which the insects could crawl.
There are several ways to protect the bumblebee house: Coat the legs of the stand with glue, put the legs of the stand in a bowl of water (oil). You can, for example, replace the lower screws of the stand with longer ones (so that the hive stands on the screw heads, e.g. in a large bowl of water/oil).
Leave it to nature: If you don't want to disturb the queen bumblebee when she is choosing her nest, I recommend temporarily placing the bumblebee box in a bed with flowering spring flowers (dove-leaved primrose, lungwort, smoke tree, etc.). Especially in early spring, bumblebees can be very attractive to queens....
Feeding the queen bumblebee: After the queen bumblebee has been placed in the bumblebee hive, it must be fed. To do this, mix a small amount of sugar water and put it into the hive with an eyedropper. Sometimes you also put a globule of moistened pollen into the hive.
Tips for keeping bumblebees
Tip for the curious: In March/April, keep an eye out for queen bumblebees looking for a new home. You can recognise them by their slow zigzag flight near the ground. The queen does not seek out flowers, but explores different nooks and crannies, often flying into an open window where she can cling to a curtain. In nature, bumblebee queens are usually caught with a butterfly net. You can then offer her a new home - in a bumblebee house.
It may happen that you don't get any bumblebees in the first year. But next spring you will be ready again for new queens. At the same time, your bumblebee house will be even better suited for settlement....
Birds also prefer older nest boxes to brand new ones.Look for whether the bumblebee has pollen cones on the back pairs of legs. Such a bumblebee has probably already built a nest and doesn't want yours. That's why we don't catch queens flying from flower to flower!