Today, the first insect hotel in Mykolaiv was solemnly opened in Mykolaiv Zoo.
This project is being implemented within the framework of the initiative “Assessment of Contamination of Damaged Soils and Development of a Land Restoration Plan in Mykolaiv Region”, which is being implemented by the United Nations Development Program in Ukraine with the financial support of the Government of Sweden.
The event was attended by employees of Mykolaiv Zoo, employees of the United Nations Development Program, employees of the Department of Ecology and Natural Resources of the Mykolaiv Regional Military Administration, the zoo’s young naturalists club, and representatives of the media.
A special moment was an interesting lecture given by Yuri Protsenko, an entomologist, candidate of biological sciences and assistant professor of the Department of Ecology and Zoology of the Educational and Scientific Center “Institute of Biology and Medicine” of the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv. The scientist told the young biologists such interesting facts as, for example, that there are 20 thousand species of bees on the planet, and only one percent of them live in families in hives, while all the rest lead a solitary lifestyle. Such insects build their nests in the ground, digging a hole, or use natural cavities. It is for such wasps and bees such hotels are created, because in the conditions of the city, where the grass is constantly mowed and everything is cleaned, insects physically have nowhere to live. Such hotels are very similar in principle to birdhouses that people equip for birds. These houses also perform another function – some insects can spend the night or hibernate in them, these can be green lacewings, ladybugs, spiders. The hotel also performs an extremely important educational function, thanks to which our visitors can learn about the importance of insects in nature.
This wonderful event is one of the steps towards preserving biodiversity and developing environmental awareness!
