Goodman helps wild bees - wildflower meadow in Pforzheim

"Busy as a bee" - this proverb describes the busy hustle and bustle of the honey bee. Their wild cousins, the wild bees, are often forgotten. Yet nothing works without them in the natural plant world - they are indispensable for the pollination of plants. 

About 30 per cent of the 560 species of wild bees native to Germany have specialised on just a few plants. If the wild bee species in question is absent, these plants can no longer reproduce.

While honey bees live together as a colony and travel up to seven kilometres from the hive, wild bees are more solitary, nest in the ground or in rotten wood and stay close to home - they do not travel further than 500 metres from their nest. They do not produce honey, but instead consume the collected nectar directly.

Wild bees are threatened
In the modern world, soil sealing (every day in Germany about 30 hectares of soil are said to disappear under asphalt, concrete, or paving stones) makes life difficult for wild bees. Many species are already on the red list.

That's why we've decided to help them - after all, safeguarding biodiversity is an important part of Goodman's GreenSpace+ sustainability programme. 

Wildflower meadow in Pforzheim
The best way to provide suitable habitat for wild bees is to plant wildflower meadows with appropriate nesting sites. In the coming weeks, for example, just such a meadow will be built on the grounds of our Pforzheim III Logistics Centre. We are taking professional advice from bee experts and beekeepers. 

Marion Kühnen, Asset Management, Goodman Germany: "With this project, the costs of which we are covering in full, we are colonising wild bees and thus contributing to the preservation of biodiversity. Apart from that, the sight of wildflower meadows is also a treat for the eye - so they also play a role in ensuring the well-being of our employees and our customers."

Another pleasant side effect is that wild bees share a preference for some plants with us humans. These include, for example, kitchen herbs such as thyme, rosemary, and sage, as well as flowering vegetables such as leeks, onions or even Brussels sprouts.

In addition to our commitment to the wild bees, we also care for honey bees, so in addition to the planting of the wildflower meadows, we also plan to install beehives at a later date.

Pforzheim III Logistics Centre still available for occupancy 
But it is not only the wildflower meadow as a contribution to sustainability that makes the logistics centre in Pforzheim an attractive property. The asset is strategically optimally connected to the conurbations of Stuttgart and Karlsruhe and offers – especially for medium-sized businesses – a flexible combination of warehouse and production facility. 

Currently, there is still the possibility to rent the property. The object is available for immediate occupancy. Interested customers are welcome to contact Patrick Rieder, Business Development Manager at Goodman, at the following e-mail address: [email protected]

More details about the property can be found here