Today, Wednesday, May 20, is UN World Bee Day. Not everyone loves bees and fears the stings of the tiny insects. But bees are incredibly important to our eco-system and also to our health, because they really do great things! Not only do they provide us with honey, they also pollinate over 80 percent of all cultivated and wild plants. This makes them irreplaceable for our ecosystems. You too can contribute to keeping it that way. At Frankfurt's Günthersburgpark, chewing gum vending machines have now been converted into "seed vending machines". From now on, you can pull seeds for a few cents and thus contribute to saving the bees.
And this rescue is urgently needed. Because actually wild bees could currently fly stress-free through Frankfurt's quiet streets in search of food. But there is no buzzing. The world has become quieter. Not only because of Corona. But also because the bee, the most important pollinator on earth, can hardly find any food. In cities in particular, areas are being concreted over and front gardens are being turned into what are supposed to be gravel gardens. This means that habitats for bees and other important insects are being lost. Front gardens and balconies offer a small glimmer of hope: bee-friendly seeds can be sown there so that our buzzing pollinators can find food. The solution is as clever as it is simple.
"Seed dispensers" for food for the bees
.The educational project Bienenretter of the Frankfurt-based association FINE - Frankfurt Institute for Sustainable Development is now bringing the "seed vending machines", which were developed together with the Dortmund-based initiator of the idea, Sebastian Everding, to Frankfurt: At the Burgstraße entrance of the Günthersburgpark, two chewing gum vending machines in bright yellow have been converted into "seed vending machines" since this week. More vending machines will follow soon in the city center and in Offenbach.
For 20 or 50 cents, Frankfurt residents can choose to grow seeds there and help save the bees. For this, the Offenbach chewing gum vending machine operator Baumgartner, who was immediately enthusiastic about the idea, provides the first "seed dispensers": instead of chewing gum, the seeds of the bee savers now come out of his vending machines in reusable capsules.
One vending machine contains the perennial seed mixture "Let your city bloom!". You can sow it in your garden, in fallow areas or in a flower pot. The other vending machine contains the annual "Bee Friend" with cultivated species. In short: a high-quality nectar and pollen feast especially for wild bees. Because their flight radius is usually limited to 50 to 300 meters. It is therefore essential to let all front gardens and balconies bloom. In addition to Frankfurt, there are now the bright yellow machines in over 25 other cities.
"The feeling of powerlessness, of not being able to do anything at this time, depresses many people. To express the personal hope that everything will be alright, proverbial seeds can be used to plant hope," says Christian Bourgeois, initiator of the Project Bee Savers. So everyone can contribute already with 20 cents to the fact that even in times of Corona our city and thus also our hope blossoms again.
Further information on the project Bee Savers can be found at the vending machines and at www.bienenretter.de
