Pollinating insects are essential for the fertilization of many plants. Butterflies, beetles, bumblebees and bees ensure that the flowers of fruit trees and other crops are pollinated.
However, the population of pollinating insects, especially bees, is declining year after year. The reasons for this include monocultures, pesticides, environmental toxins, climate change and pathogens that are destroying the habitat and food base of insects.
It is therefore all the more important to offer the bees in gardens, parks and balconies as many flowers as possible so that they can get the vital nectar and pollen.
But not all flowers are the same: Geraniums and forsythias, which are often bought in hardware stores or specialist shops, are not bee-friendly.