Bee and insect houses Build them yourself
72 children from Thalheim Primary School collected pine cones, built bee houses and set them up around the village. Three half-days, twelve little houses and a valuable contribution to the wild bees in the region.
Thalheim School
Thalheim Primary School in the canton of Aargau regularly organises the ‘Wochemärt’, a community project in which children from all year groups work together. Sustainability and a connection with nature are just as much a focus as social interaction.
Why are wild bees so important?
Bees are the most important pollinators in agriculture. A bee colony can pollinate up to three million fruit blossoms a day. Without bees, there would be no fruit or vegetables.
What can we do to help wild bees?
- Plant bee-friendly plants
- When mowing the lawn, leave a small patch of flowers to grow
- Set out water bowls
- Set up bee hives
The campaign days
8 March: Collecting pine cones and oiling wood
During a walk, the children collected pine cones and branches for the beehives. Some were allowed to oil the cut timber to protect it from the elements.
1 April, building and filling
The older pupils assembled twelve bee houses, assisted by carpenter Daniel Wenger and forester Markus Dietiker. The younger ones sawed bamboo canes, sanded bricks and filled the little huts with pine cones, bamboo canes, twigs and straw. As a reward, they were given waffles that the Year 4 pupils had baked themselves.
6 May, setting them up in the village
Together with forester Markus Dietiker, the twelve little houses were set up: two by the school, five on the way to the hunter’s lodge and five in the village. Those who had finished helping laid out mandalas made of flowers and stones.
EGK says thank you
As a thank-you for their efforts, the children received new floorball sticks and a football from EGK. After all, these are their favourite games to play during break times. Each child was also allowed to take home a copy of the book ‘Felix and Lisa in Nature’ and a box of Ricola sweets.
