Animals - Few hummingbirds spotted in the region - Could duration rain be the cause?
At a new participatory project, people reported seeing various species of bees in Bavaria - in some regions, however, no fluffy wild bees were reported. A expert from the Bundes Naturschutz (BN) suspected that this could be due to floods and prolonged rain. This year, BN and the Thuenen Institute in Braunschweig called for the first time for Bumblebees to be photographed and reported via a Smartphone app. The observation periods were each in the spring and in the summer.
According to BN's reports, nationwide, 3500 participants reported 19,800 bumblebees of 22 different species. In Bavaria, the most frequent discovery was reportedly the Earth bumblebee. Following this were the Meadow bumblebee, the Garden bumblebee, and the Tree bumblebee.
Why people in some regions of Bavaria did not encounter bumblebees at all during this time is still unclear, according to BN. Besides the weather, habitat loss, the use of pesticides, climate change, and diseases could also be responsible, it was stated. The fact that the population fluctuates from year to year is normal for other insects, explained Frank Sommerlandt, a scientist from the Thuenen Institute. "Real development trends can only be recognized based on long-term data that are collected over several years or decades."
- The prolonged rain and subsequent floods, as suggested by the Federation Nature Protection's expert, might have impacted the duration of rain for the bumblebees' habitats in certain areas of Bavaria.
- Despite the Level of floods and rain affecting some regions, the app launched by the Federation Nature Protection and the Thuenen Institute in Brunswick successfully recorded bumblebees in various parts of Germany, including Umwelt in Bayern.
- Unfortunately, in some regions of Bavaria, the flooding and heavy rain resulted in a lack of sightings of Hummel, leading to concerns about their population and survival.
- In Nuremberg, a city in Bavaria, the Garden bumblebee was one of the species reported during the project's observation periods, contributing to the total number of 19,800 bumblebees across Germany.
- The Bundes Naturschutz (BN) and the Thuenen Institute encourage more people to participate in future projects, as understanding the ecological impact of weather, floods, and other factors on bumblebees and their habitats is crucial for the long-term preservation and protection of these essential pollinators.
