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World Bee Day – A great day for our smallest workers

Imker bei der Bienenpflege

Cheers to the bee, because today is World Bee Day! In an interview with KSG bee tamer Ralf Rehm of “diefirmenbiene.de, we talk about his work as a beekeeper and why our little corporate hummers are an indispensable part of the ecosystem.

Mr. Rehm, to counteract the dangerous decline in the bee population, we moved our first colony of 50,000 bees to the KSG company grounds in 2021. To create good living conditions for the bees, they regularly take care of. How exactly does bee care work?

I come to KSG about 10-15 times a year.
to
perform bee care for 30-45 minutes. During these visits, KSG employees or other guests also have the Possibility to me to look over your shoulder. I check for the presence of the queen and then look to see if she is laying eggs. I also make sure that there is enough brood and what condition the colony is in. Furthermore, we take care of the honey harvest up to the finished filled and labeled honey jar.

Why do the bees need intensive care?

The honeybee as a farm animal has a special status, because man cultivates and nurtures this species. However, mites and diseases are a major problem for them. Therefore, they require intensive care.

Samen für die Bienenwiese

Our 250 m long bee meadow was planted within two days on an area of 1000m2 laid out.

In the media, you often read about “bee mortality” – how great is the danger and why are the little buzzers so important for our environment?

In recent years, there has been constant talk of bee mortality and, in fact, the wild species in particular are not doing very well. There are many reasons for this: insecticides, monocultures, sealing of areas and, last but not least, climate change. This ensures that increasingly early flowering plants upset the rhythm of the animals. Bees are the third most important farm animal in our country after cattle and pigs. Not because of the honey, which is a welcome by-product. Their main service: they pollinate fruit trees and shrubs and thus ensure the harvest of many important foodstuffs.

What to do when you see a swarm of bees?

Swarms of bees are not dangerous. Bees are peaceful pollen gatherers and have no interest in attacking humans. Since a sting is fatal for them, they only sting in an absolute emergency to defend their swarm. In addition, swarming bees transport honey as provisions – making a sting even less likely. Who would like to do the bees a favor, observes, where the swarm settles down, and calls meanwhile a coworker of “diefirmenbiene.de” or with the local beekeeper association. Optimally, a beekeeper will then come by and capture the swarm.

To ensure that our company bees are sufficiently supplied and find enough nectar, this year we have scattered seeds for a colorful bee meadow. What other measures do you think are important that everyone can take in everyday life to do something for bees?

It’s the little things, like landscaping your own garden with insect- and bee-friendly plants, avoiding pesticides and weed killers, buying regional honey, or planting a wild meadow.

Mr. Rehm, thank you very much for the interview. Finally, we would be interested to know: Did you have a particularly nice experience as a beekeeper that has remained in your memory?

A friend of mine was able to treat her hay fever allergy with regional honey. Another great experience was a trip to Kenya. The natives used honey for wound healing or as a plaster.

Bees Facts

 

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