BEE MARIE
The butterfly and bee pasture of MaxCine is a hub for questions in the exchange between scientists, nature, environmental education and the public.
You are welcome to visit the BeeMarie at any time, unannounced and free of charge.
Here's where science, public relations and environmental education meet.
The Bee Marie provides a valuable habitat for birds, insects and other animals. Wild plants provide food for numerous and valuable insects, including a wide variety of butterfly species and wild bees. Birds find nesting places and butterfly caterpillars find food in a dense hedge.
You might also spot a blackbird with a small transmitter backpack or a shrew.
The Bee Marie is also used for observations by our scientists, with whom you can exchange information on exciting and varied topics and expand your knowledge.
Here you can observe nature and the animal inhabitants from near and far. A small path allows you to get up close and personal and browse through the bee pasture. At the road to the institute there is an information board with integrated binoculars for observation from a distance.
In the kitchen garden, herbs are planted in spring, and various vegetables are planted, which are harvested again in autumn. The MaxCine team is currently in the process of establishing a permaculture on part of the area.
The Bee Marie's namesake, our bees, provide delicious honey. The pasture can also be used for children during workshops or for group games. Every spring there is a "staff-workout", where staff members of the institute work together to get the Bee Marie back in shape.
The foundation stone was laid in spring 2009 in the outdoor area of the Schlossmühle with the participation of the two primary schools in Möggingen, Güttingen and many other children. For the first two years the "Bee Marie" was 60% co-financed by the "PLENUM Westlicher Bodensee".
WE4BEE
Since summer 2020 MaxCine has been part of the "we4bee" project. This is how the initiators describe their idea:
"we4bee pursues the goal of establishing a worldwide network of high-tech beehives. This will not only promote environmental research and education, but also establish an early warning system for earthquakes and other natural disasters."
At the edge of the bee pasture there is a digitally monitored beehive, which measures data such as temperature, humidity or wind speed around the clock and transmits them to the internet. In addition, two cameras are mounted on the beehive. Under the following link you can find an interior view as well as a view of the entrance hole in addition to the other measured data.
Since May 2021, our hive is finally inhabited. An employee of our institute, who is also a private beekeeper, has "knocked in" a natural swarm into the hive. This is what the professionals call moving a bee colony to a new home. The bees feel very comfortable with us and have already started diligently building new combs.
The data of the digital hive and current photos of the interior and the entrance can be found at the link below.
