... is it really buzzing?

Lately I've been getting calls to sign, protest and get involved because herbicides and pesticides are killing our wild and honey bees and our nature!

Yes, that may be true for the most part, but now I ask myself what does the individual do against it?

After around five years of beekeeping, I can say that I have met few people who stand up for biodiversity, let alone for species protection or biodiversity!

Im Herbst pflanzen sie Krokusse in ihren gepflegten, geleckten Garten und im Sommer wird gespritzt was das Zeug hält. Das ist nicht der richtige Weg.

Throwing a nice flower mix or seed bombs, no matter what is in it or belongs here, is unfortunately not what we need! It is not only the right flowers that our bees lack, it is also the food for birds such as caterpillars and larvae that are lost because no tail wants to endure a strip of disorder in the garden.

Have a look at the gardens and green spaces in residential and industrial areas, where is there still biodiversity to be found. Every week there is mowing and frequent spraying and fertilization so that no dandelions and flowers grow. Of course, the (small) gardeners are also aware that stone fields in the front gardens do not offer a habitat for insects, like our bees, but that they do little work?

It's up to each of us! I have to say it annoys me, it pisses me off and I could cry! What is the reason that 70 percent of the population is NOT EVEN aware of what is going on around them?

At that time the stork sat on the neighbour's barn roof, the swallows were flying adventurous maneuvers, the skylarks sang over the fields, and lapwing.

And today? I screw up my eyes.

Today? I ask, it almost sounds contemptuous.

„Der Hänfling ist kaum noch da. Die Lerche, früher ein Allerweltsvogel, ist heute eine Besonderheit. Die Grauammer ist im Westen ganz verschwunden. Und der Kiebitz? Der wurde nach unten regelrecht durchgereicht. Stand erst auf der Vorwarnliste, dann stufte man ihn als gefährdet ein, dann als stark gefährdet, und bald wird es heißen, er sei vom Aussterben bedroht.

Also, wenn es bei uns wieder ordentlich summen soll, müssen Lebensräume für Vögel, Schmetterlinge, sowie Wild- und Honigbienen nicht nur erhalten sondern zusätzlich auch geschaffen werden. 

Um die vielbeschworene „biologische Vielfalt“ der heimischen Blühpflanzen und Bienen fördern zu wollen, müssen die Menschen erst einmal lernen u.a. auch Bienen wieder wertzuschätzen! Dazu müssen sie auch deren unterschiedliche Bedürfnisse kennenlernen.

Wussten Sie, dass nach dem Bundeskleingartengesetz die Haltung von Bienen in Kleingärten als einzige Tierart erlaubt ist? Hiermit ist anerkannt,dass nachweislich die Bestäubung der Obstbäume, Beerensträucher und einiger Fruchtgemüsearten durch Bienen zur wesentlichen Ertragssteigerung führen.

The insects also include wild and honey bees, which have been increasingly reported in the media for several years. It seems that many people are not particularly interested in this because, in their opinion, they are perhaps only annoying insects.

However ... when no more wasps fly to our bee sting, no mosquitoes spoil the mild evening and no more insects stick to the windshield, then .......

Ja, Dann beginnt auch das Vogelsterben, denn ohne fett- und eiweißreiche Insekten gibt es keinen Nachwuchs. 

Cherry laurel unfriendly to bees!

"Highly toxic, ecological plague" concrete wall is valuable for nature Exotic shrub poaching and displacing native plants unsuitable for small gardens

The NABU also warns of the "highly toxic, ecological plague" that this shrub represents for nature. Leaves and seeds release hydrogen cyanide in the stomach and are hardly compostable. In many forests, the introduced new citizens spread at the expense of the native nature. And domestic insects and birds can do absolutely nothing with the shrub.

“Anyone who plant cherry laurel hedges is committing a crime against nature”, “Even a concrete wall is ecologically more valuable, over time at least lichens and mosses grow on it.” At best, birds find a little shelter between the leaves, the plant cannot feed them. “These shrubs have been inflated in recent years, and together with the exotic rhododendrons, they displace native plants. This means that the food base for insects and thus the baby food of many birds is disappearing ”.

Dabei sei der Strauch für Reihenhausgärten denkbar ungeeignet. Wer Lorbeerkirschen oder Rhododendren anpflanzt, hat keine Ahnung und keine Geduld. "Viel schlimmer ist die Wirkung in der Natur, denn in vielen Wäldern wildert der Exot aus und nimmt heimischen Kräutern den Lebensraum. Die verbotene Unsitte, Strauchschnitt in Wäldern abzuladen, führe zur Verbreitung der Lorbeerkirsche. Auf dem Kompost bleiben die Blätter lange unangetastet. „Das ist ja auch kein Wunder, an die giftigen Blätter wagen sich ja nicht mal die Mikroben ran“.

There are plenty of local alternatives, from hawthorn to sloe to hazelnut, from beehive and rose hip to small willows for the impatient. "If you absolutely want a wintergreen poisonous plant as a hedge, you should plant yew trees". The animal world has only been able to adapt to such native plants over the millennia, the flood of exotic "neophytes" pollutes nature.

Addendum: Admittedly, the exaggeration in the above text provokes, but the basic statements are still correct. Anyone who willfully want to keep their cherry laurel in the garden and enjoy it should do so.

This is about the row-by-row planting in new development areas, which massively devalue garden habitats. The toxicity is often questioned. Well, then why did the Botanical Special Garden in Hamburg choose the cherry laurel as the poisonous plant of the year 2013?

According to Lieschen Müller's logic, the ecological value of cherry laurel is often justified with the blackbird and other thrushes, which like to eat the berries. For the missing insects for titmouse, redstart and wren, the ecological understanding is obviously not enough. Another example: The butterfly lilac (Buddleja davidii Franch.) From China also attracts masses of butterflies in summer, which then find another nectar supply in the blooming season, great. However, no caterpillar lives on the butterfly lilac - and without a caterpillar no butterfly. Lieschen Müller actually knows that too.

Concentrated feed for bees ...

... is the pollen of many spring bloomers, especially willows. The bee colony needs around 145mg of pollen to raise a bee. This corresponds to about 10 pairs of pollen pants. The adult bee then needs around 40 mg of pollen to build up muscles and the body's own proteins. This 185 mg of pollen should not be underestimated in relation to the bee colony and over the entire year.

If you set up bee colonies in your garden, you have to check in your mind whether your location can provide enough pollen within a radius of 3km per year. If the location does not meet this requirement, only one thing helps: reduce the number of colonies or plant a beehive or beehive. Actively seek conversation with neighbors and allotment gardeners and invest a glass or two of honey as an incentive for sowing beehive or beehive trees. This money is well invested, because well-cared for bee colonies are the basis for successful beekeeping.

Better a "bee tree"

The bee tree is an extremely valuable plant for all bee friends, insect lovers or simply everyone who would like to have a small tree or a beautiful bush in their garden, which also has great benefits for the environment. It is considered the most nectar-rich plant. According to beekeepers, 3 flowers should fill the bees' stomach. In the autumn it sets beautiful vermilion fruits that are reminiscent of the European eucoat. Its autumn color is bright yellow. The bee tree is quite straightforward to look after.

If you want to help our domestic insects and honey bees, then plant the so-called bee tree, which is available as a shrub or tree. It blooms when there is hardly any costumes (food) left for the insects in nature!

The bee tree is the best source of pollen and nectar for late summer. Once planted out, they experience a sea of flowers in each late summer, in which not only honey bees, but also many other insects such as bumblebees, supply themselves with nectar and pollen for wintering.

If you are looking for a suitable gift for a bee friend, the bee tree is an ideal permanent present!

Auf die Frage, warum gerade Städter etwas für die Bienen tun können, sollten wir antworten;

„Weil in der Stadt fast alle Entscheidungsträger aus Politik und Verwaltung, von Lobbyverbänden und viele Verbraucher zuhause sind.

When these people learn to love bees, they decide politically or at the shopping counter whether they want to promote bees in rural and urban areas by supporting ecologically sustainable consumption. ”Anyone who wants to do something for bees does not have to start about beekeeping: “Those who have learned to appreciate honey bees also like sand bees, holes or mask bees and bumblebees. For all these types of plants, planting flowers and bushes and observing wild bees on a nesting aid is more important from a nature conservation point of view than keeping honey bees yourself. "

Energy from wild plants

The cultural landscape offers little food for bees in late summer. “Food oases” are therefore late-blooming wild plant mixtures, such as those found e.g. B. be created within the framework of the agri-environmental programs. These provide food and protection not only for bees, but also for many wild animals. In the future, the diet of flower-visiting insects could also be supplemented by mixtures of wild plants that are grown for biogas production. As part of the “Energy from Wild Plants” project, perennial plant mixtures are being tested that provide living space and food for many animals - including bees.

Fast alle ausgewählten Pflanzen sind attraktive Nektar- und Pollenspender, die die Nahrungslücke im Spätsommer schließen können. Das Anbausystem sieht vor, dass nur einmal gesät, aber über mehrere Jahre geerntet wird. Es sind also in aufeinander folgenden Jahren unterschiedliche Pflanzen auf den Flächen zu finden, die auch zu unterschiedlichen Zeiten blühen. Werden die Flächen dann zeitversetzt angelegt (in mehreren Jahren in Folge), entstehen so im Sommer attraktive Trachtflächen. Diese Flächen können die Hochleistungspflanze Mais nicht ersetzen, aber eine wichtige Ergänzung liefern die nicht nur Bienen und Imkern nützt.

Native trees provide food for a number of insects such as bees and caterpillars. The buckthorn, for example, serves as food for the lemon moth caterpillar. Our butterflies cannot do anything with exotic shrubs such as thuja, cherry laurel and sitka spruce.

Creating a hedge with native shrubs would be an important step towards an insect-friendly garden. Many of these important food plants are painstakingly exterminated in most gardens, sometimes even with poison. A greater acceptance of the native flora for all insects would be vital here.

Vielleicht könnte eine kleine wilde Ecke im Garten mit Brennnessel, Brombeere oder Ampfer für unsere Schmetterlinge und Bienen reserviert werden.

Or just become a "bee sponsor"!

Natürlich können Sie uns als Gönner mit einer Geldspende unterstützen.

We guarantee that your contribution will benefit the bees 100%. Since the members of bienen-pate-bremen work free of charge and non-profit, there are no administrative expenses or black holes where the money disappears. We are fighting against the death of bees. Winter losses of 25 - 90% do not have to be. Others talk about it - we do something!

Wor de seagulls screamed like hell int Stormgebrus, Dor is my home, dor bün ick to Hus ……

And when the een in the city buten up de Strot up Hoochdütsch frogen deit: "Excuse me, do you have the exact time?" Un you kick no dien Klock and bless up Platt: "Yeah, that's nu just söben minutes no twee!" Because if you do not have a word for us, you say "Plattdütsche Muddersprok don," as if you write up a Hoochdütsch`n big "article" "about the regrettable decline in the Low German language and idiosyncrasy!"