The insect population has declined noticeably over the past few decades.
This also has consequences for us humans.
What you can do yourself to take action against it.
Munich - Without insects, the world's ecosystems get in trouble: They are the basis of food for birds, contribute to the conservation of 90 percent of all plant species through pollination and, as soil organisms, ensure fertile humus.
In the last 30 years the number of insects in Germany has decreased by 75 percent.
In order to stop the death of insects, the federal government has passed new rules for farmers.
But each of us can do a lot to create a little paradise for six-legged friends on our balcony or garden.
The Munich Environmental Institute shows what the small beneficial insects need to be happy.
Protecting insects: About insect hotels and the right supply of water
Accommodation:
Many gardeners like it to be as tidy outside as they are inside their own four walls. Insects, however, need wild corners with dead wood and piles of stones, where there is no mowing or weeding. Some wild bees like to move into insect hotels, but most species prefer a place in nature. Artificial nesting aids are therefore an emergency solution, but they are well suited for observation. To do this, hang up the hotel in a sunny location protected from wind and rain. Different materials and diameters of wooden tubes attract several types.
Water:
Insects are thirsty too! Wasps and honey bees also use water at high temperatures to cool their nests through evaporation. A bowl filled with water is enough. Small stones or sticks in the bowl prevent animals from drowning. The drinking troughs must be cleaned regularly and topped up with fresh water. Birds also like to use them.
Healthy environment:
No chemicals in the garden: 5420 tons of insecticides were sprayed in gardens and on balconies in 2018!
These poisons kill all insects, not just the ones we find annoying.
Therefore it should be avoided.
Those who rely on native plants, plant mixed cultures in the vegetable patch and observe crop rotations attract beneficial organisms such as ladybugs or hover flies, whose larvae eat annoying aphids.
If the plague gets too big, natural alternatives can help.
B. a nettle manure, which not only acts as a fertilizer, but also sprayed on leaves against lice.
Info: All tips on the topic can be downloaded as an e-book “Your bee garden” from Umweltinstitut.org.
Beetles, butterflies and co .: These plants make insects happy
Forage plants:
A swallowtail nibbles on lavender: Because herbs such as thyme and sage are popular with bumblebees, bees and butterflies. Local wildflowers such as cornflower, borage or foxglove provide pollen and nectar. Berries such as blueberries and blackberries also attract insects. Plants with double flowers, on the other hand, have little or no pollen and nectar and do not fill anyone up. Butterfly caterpillars need special leaves, so the caterpillars of the small fox and peacock butterfly eat nettles. The painted lady needs thistles - therefore leave some plants standing!
Don't be afraid of hornets:
they are threateningly large at 3.5 centimeters and hum particularly loud: But hornets are shy and peaceful animals, only interested in hunting flies, horseflies or moths! "The sting of a hornet is no more dangerous than that of a wasp and less poisonous than the sting of a honey bee, assures Hans Greßirer, hornet expert of the Bund Naturschutz in Munich:" It is a fairy tale that hornets kill people and horses with just a few stings. The rumor persists, but there is nothing to the allegation. ”In autumn the colony dies, only the mated young queens survive.