Recognising and Confidently Identifying Wild Bees - A Course for Students and Teachers
How do wild bees and solitary wasps live?
What can their nests reveal about biodiversity?
How can the ecology and diversity of these insects be monitored systematically?
The project will create a freely accessible German-languageonline self-study course aimed primarily at students and teachers, while remaining open to anyone interested in the subject.
The course provides foundational knowledge of the biology, diversity and ecological importance of wild bees and solitary wasps. Participants become familiar with typical species and the characteristics of their nests. They then apply this knowledge to systematic identification using an identification app developed specifically for this purpose.
Nesting boxes designed for observation serve as easily accessible miniature ecosystems. Using “virtual nesting boxes” based on image data from selected reference sites, participants analyse the occupancy of nesting tunnels and different developmental stages. They identify the species and genera nesting within them and evaluate monitoring data, including species composition, parasitism rates and emergence success.
The course is designed as an interactive self-study environment that combines inquiry- and discovery-based learning with key stages of scientific investigation. Videos, interactive H5P activities and self-assessment quizzes structure the learning process and provide participants with feedback on their progress. An accompanying forum facilitates discussion of subject-specific and educational topics. Based on the insights gained, participants can develop and evaluate suitable conservation measures using defined criteria. The course also prepares them to contribute their own observations to subsequent citizen-science monitoring.
Supplementary teaching materials are provided to support students and teachers in conducting nesting-box monitoring as a citizen-science project with learners. Following its launch in September 2027, the course is also intended to be offered to teachers as a recognised continuing professional development course.