This page was translated automatically using artificial intelligence (DeepL). The German version is binding. More information about automatic translation
The decline in insect populations poses a growing threat to ecosystems and agriculture. Studies show an alarming loss of biomass among flying insects in Germany of up to 77āÆ% over the last three decades [1]. Around 45āÆ% of the wild bee species found in Germany are considered to be at risk of extinction ā with far-reaching consequences for fruit-growing regions such as Saxony and the Rhineland [2]. Agri-environmental measures are intended to counteract the increasing insect mortality caused, amongst other things, by the intensification of agriculture [1]. The extent to which certain pollinator groups, such as solitary wild bees ā for example, mason bees (Osmia spp.) ā benefit from these measures remains to be analysed. Of great importance to bee health is their bacterial community (microbiome). Whilst this has already been extensively researched in honeybees, it has not yet been sufficiently investigated in native wild bees [3]. Wild bees differ fundamentally from honey bees in their social behaviour, as they do not tend to their brood and the development of the bee larva depends entirely on the surrounding nesting material [4]. For example, the female red mason bee lays her eggs, together with pollen stores, in brood cells separated by clay walls (Figure 1).
