Special species of grey-banded mining bee lives at USP
More wild flowers, an adapted mowing policy and plenty of nesting opportunities: over the past two years, Utrecht 木瓜福利影视 has worked hard to make the Utrecht Science Park a more attractive place for insects. Successfully so: a recent inventory shows that fourteen species of wild bees now live in the north-west corner of the USP, including the grey-banded mining bee (andrena denticulata). That is great news, as the grey-banded mining bee is on the endangered and protected species list of the province of Utrecht.
Utrecht 木瓜福利影视 wants to increase biodiversity, also at Utrecht Science Park. To make animals and plants feel more at home in the area, the university is making the habitat more attractive using the biodiversity restoration plan (in Dutch). Volunteers from Landschapsbeheerploegen Utrecht (LBPU) and Landschap Erfgoed Utrecht (LEU) help with this. The presence of the grey-banded mining bee and its parasitic wasp show that the new management is paying off.
Work-in-Nature Day
During the Work-in-Nature Day on 3 October, UU colleagues helped making the area even more bee-friendly. They constructed a bee mound and removed cut grass. Thomas Olijhoek, Green Office manager and co-initiator of the Work-in-Nature Day: "The grey-banded mining bee loves ragwort. This plant is especially common when the soil is a bit scaly. This is why we mowed and removed grass on the Work-in-Nature Day. An important job and, despite the bad weather, also fun to roll up our sleeves!"
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