"Insect-friendly Günztal" project: How to cultivate grassland in an insect-friendly manner
Created: 06/09/2022, 08:00
Cultivating grassland in an insect-friendly manner means, among other things, mowing with the double-blade mower and leaving unmown areas of the meadow for insects.
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Ottobeuren - In the "Insect-friendly Günztal" project in the Federal Biological Diversity Program of the Günztal Cultural Landscape Foundation, farmers can find out how they can use simple means to improve the chances of insects surviving in grassland.
The Günztal Cultural Landscape Foundation announced this in a press release.
The number of insects and their richness in species are steadily declining.
This is proven by red lists, various long-term studies and international studies.
Together with farmers in the region, the Günztal Cultural Landscape Foundation would like to make grassland farming more insect-friendly.
Because: "Grassland is an important habitat for the native insect diversity." To this end, the foundation supports interested farmers with the first steps: from trying out insect-friendly double blade mowers to non-binding advice to the funding program.
The entire offer is free of charge and offers up-to-date knowledge on the most important insect protection measures.
Frequent mowing becomes a stress test for insects
Many species of insects use grassland to forage for food, gather nesting materials, hide from predators, or hibernate in stems and leaves.
However, frequent mowing is a stress test for the insects.
With each mowing operation, nine to 60 percent of the grasshoppers are injured or killed.
It is therefore important to use a particularly gentle mower, the double blade mower.
It works differently than conventional disc or drum mowers: Instead of rotating blades that create an air suction and pull the insects into the blades, the double blade mower cuts the meadow growth like scissors.
The insects fall backwards with the grass clippings largely unharmed.
A positive side effect: the lack of air suction also prevents forage contamination.
Do not mow the entire meadow: leave strips of old grass as a retreat
In addition to the direct danger from mowing, the subsequent harvest chain poses another risk for the meadow dwellers. After mowing, various devices are used to dry and transport the mowed material.
From the point of view of the insects, their habitat is changing radically.
In order to offer them a place of retreat after surviving the mowing, the agricultural consultant Stefan Schütz from the foundation recommends not mowing individual areas of the meadow.
Some of the insects can thus complete their life cycle in these so-called old grass strips, which can lie within or on the edge of the meadows.
Shaping the challenges of our time as a role model: advice for farmers
With the project, the foundation would like to invite farmers to try out the various methods and to help shape the challenges of our time as a role model.
"The protection of insects is a task for society as a whole that affects us all," say the initiators.
Farmers make an important contribution to this by cultivating their grassland in an insect-friendly manner.
A model subsidy program covers the additional costs of management and rewards farmers for their commitment.
For a
non-binding consultation
or a
free demonstration of the double
blade mowers on your own farm, interested parties can contact
Stefan Schütz
on
0171/22 44 982
as a contact person for the foundation.
(MK)
