Living gardens: This is how Bad Kissingen promote insects variety!

Living gardens: This is how Bad Kissingen promote insects variety!

Poppenroth, Deutschland - The BUND Nature Conservation invited to an exciting tour of Poppenroth on June 16, 2025 to explore insect -friendly gardens. Around 30 interested parties followed the call and were carried out by Dr. Fabienne Maihoff from the University of Würzburg and Dr. Marina Wolz from the Rhön biodiversity center in the secrets of the research project "Summing villages - Wild bees in villages" inaugurated. Both researchers reported on the results of the first part of the project, in which over 1,200 flowering plant species and 247 wild bee species were documented in 40 villages. Now it goes into the second phase that includes 20 villages and has already started in Poppenroth.

The city of Bad Kissingen has already implemented a number of measures to support insect diversity in its green spaces. Among other things, this includes less frequent mowing, which benefits wild plants and creates habitats for insects. The wild plants are allowed to thrive in trendy corners such as the redesigned village square and the cemetery, while a newly created sandarium specifically serves the needs of ground bees. Such small but fine oases are also of increasing importance in urban areas, as different initiatives show.

insights into the design of insect -friendly habitats

A special focus during the tour was on the design of gardens, which are both aesthetically appealing and insect -friendly. Marion Kröckel's garden served as an excellent example. Here the participants were able to receive numerous tips to improve their own garden. The use of insect hotels was also discussed, with the importance of regulated care and suitable locations being emphasized. "Strong plants often offer little food for insects," said Dr. Maihoff determined what makes the selection of domestic plants all the more important.

Over 79% of households in Germany have a garden, balcony or terrace that can be designed close to nature. The “Summing Dörfer” project promotes these initiatives and calls for participating in the registration for insect -friendly gardens. The more garden owners, schools and clubs participate, the greater the chances of winning in the “Wild bees' day” competition. This not only promotes local commitment, but also improves research on wild bees.

variety and meaning of balconies for biodiversity

Another helpful Initiative is the so-called "organic balcony". These natural balconies can be an important habitat for insects and at the same time offer space for different domestic plant species. In cities such as Munich and Halle/Saale, even 52 wild bee species were detected in balconies. Balcons not only offer space for personal plant arrangements, but also contribute to biodiversity if they are properly designed. Recommendations include the use of insect -friendly plants and special insect nesting aids that offer insects safe nesting options.

The research project is going on with a good example: "The past few years show that we can achieve a lot through targeted measures and create habitats for our domestic insects," said Dr. Maihoff. In the future dates such as the butterfly tour on June 29 in Hammelburg and the lecture on light pollution on July 3 in Bad Bocklet, interested parties can learn more and actively participate in the efforts to promote biodiversity. In summary, it can be said: It is up to us to make an active contribution to nature through understanding measures and the design of living gardens and balconies.

For more information and options for participating in the project, please visit the pages , village bees organic center and Stadt & Grün .