Nurseries and primary schools in one of the biggest cities in western Germany have been provided with equipment that helps kids to find out more about bees.
Bochum city council decided to purchase 12 ‘Bienenkoffer’ kits for a kindergarten and a primary school in each of the city’s six districts.
Local news website LokalKlick reports that the sets – which were designed by Berlin-based foundation Mensch & Umwelt – feature games, books and tools for setting up a nesting place for wild bees.
The bee kit initiative is part of the ‘Bochum blüht und summt‘ (Buzzing Bochum) campaign which aims at raising awareness among residents of the importance of honey bees and healthy biodiversity.
With around 363,000 inhabitants, Bochum is the sixth-biggest city in North-Rhine Westphalia. It is located 20 kilometres (12 miles) west of Dortmund.
Honey bees are social flying insects known for their construction of perennial colonial nests from wax, the large size of their colonies, and the surplus production and storage of honey.
Excessive usage of insecticides, a virus spread by the varroa mite and construction projects are regarded as the major threats to the existence and wellbeing of bees.
Germany’s 170,000 beekeepers currently manage more than one million colonies. Many apiaries are situated in urban areas.
