Overview
- Nabu Berlin, which released fresh figures Wednesday for World Bee Day, said 42% of the city’s wild bee species are on the Red List and 5% are on a watch list, and it urged residents to create bee‑friendly balconies and gardens.
- Greenpeace published a practical planting guide and warned that widely used chemicals such as the insecticide acetamiprid and the herbicide glyphosate harm pollinators, with concern that an EU “Omnibus” plan could weaken pesticide controls.
- Experts said popular insect hotels aid only bees that nest above ground and work only when built well, with smooth holes in hard wood, varied tube sizes, full sun, and at least 10 to 15 centimeters of depth so females can develop.
- Because about two thirds of wild bee species nest in the ground, conservationists advise leaving bare soil or building small sand patches and planting native, nectar‑rich flowers; a preserved open earth edge in Munich’s Prinz‑Eugen‑Park now hosts many rare species and shows how simple habitat can succeed.
- Researchers flagged a post‑pandemic boom in hobby beekeeping as a new pressure in cities, citing food competition with wild bees and faster spread of diseases like Varroa, and they called for limits on hive numbers, better training, and more diverse urban forage.