natural reserve
Participation campaign calls for insect counting
An Asian ladybug is crawling in the Ferbitzer Bruch nature reserve – and maybe in your own garden too? photo
© Soeren Stache/dpa-Zentralvild/dpa
Some citizens may be familiar with the bird count calls. Now it’s the turn of the insects. All info.
Asian ladybug, peacock butterfly or rock bumblebee – which insects cavort in the garden, in the forest or on the meadow?
The German Nature Conservation Union (Nabu) and the Bavarian Nature Conservation Association LBV want to know this again this year and are therefore calling on people to count the insects in their surroundings in June and August. The hands-on campaign “Insect Summer” runs from June 2nd to 11th and from August 4th to 13th.
According to Nabu, it should provide important information on how beetles, bumblebees, bees and butterflies are doing in this country. The campaign is also intended to draw people’s attention to the importance of insects and their endangerment. Their stocks have declined dramatically worldwide in recent years, according to the Nabu project homepage.
According to the LBV, around 33,000 species of insects live in Germany alone. Almost all plants depend on pollination. They are an important food source for birds, reptiles, amphibians and small mammals. “Many insects also harbor exciting talents,” said LBV expert Tarja Richter on Thursday in Hilpoltstein.
Some species can be observed especially now in early summer. That is why the focus of the first counting campaign in June is on eight species, including the common bumblebee, stone bumblebee, field bumblebee, lacewing and Asian ladybird. For one hour, nature fans should note the insects discovered within a radius of about ten meters during the observation period. You can then report them online.