Panel 10 - Bee Hotel
Visiting the Bees
At this station, we visit the bees at home: The honey bees live with their queen in the beehive. For the wild bees and beneficial insects, we have built a special wild bee hotel – there they will find very similar structures for nesting, just like in their natural habitats. Now take a close look at the homes of the different bee species! Soon you will also be able to build a wild bee hotel yourself – you can find instructions for this in the downloads of this panel!
In the Footsteps of the Bee
The History of the Bee
Bees have existed longer than humans. They may have originated as far back as 90 million years ago, during the time of the dinosaurs. The oldest evidence of bees is found preserved in amber that is 50 to even 100 million years old. However, these bees likely fed on other insects.
The Wonderful World of the Bee
Fascinating facts from the beginnings to today
- The honeybee pollinates 80% of all wild and cultivated plants.
- The bee is responsible for one third of our food.
- The bee is our third most important livestock.
- In New Jersey, USA, a brown amber-encased bee was found, estimated to be 90 to 100 million years old.
- A cave painting about 8,000 to 12,000 years old in Valencia, Spain, shows a person on a meter-high tree reaching into a beehive.
- The early beekeepers in Germany were called "Zeidler". The oldest record of a Zeidler dates back to the year 748. It was a respected profession. The Zeidler provided monasteries and nobility with candles made from beeswax.
- In the 4th millennium BC, bees were kept in Egypt and activities were depicted in hieroglyphics.
- In the 7th century BC, honeybees were selectively kept and utilized in Anatolia, Turkey.
- The oldest preserved evidence of bees was found in Myanmar. The animal found here, encased in amber, lived around 100 million years ago.
EXCITING E-BOOKS AND DOWNLOADS