Un-Paving for the bees

Wednesday was World Bee Day. Bees are among the most important pollinators – we need wild bees in particular for our food since without them there would be less pollination and therefore much less food available. 80 per cent of all crops are dependent on cross-pollination.

More flowered areas would help the bees in Chemnitz. Picture: Kristin Grabner

The most important facts about wild bees:

There are 407 wild bee species in Saxony, of which 55.3 per cent are endangered and 15.2 per cent are extinct or lost, which means that only 29.5 per cent of the species are doing well
Two thirds of all wild bees live in the soil
The majority of wild bees live alone, they are also called solitary bees
Insect hotels only help to a limited extent, it is more important to unseal more areas, mow less and leave corners of the garden "wild".

Unsealing areas

Chemnitz is un-paving and everyone can join in: There are more information at www.chemnitz.de/abpflastern. Less sealed surfaces mean more habitat for bees and other insects.
The City of Chemnitz's current parking space statute also include requirements for greening new parking spaces: www.chemnitz.de/satzungen.