Orange-legged honeybee (Halictus rubicundus) on a sidewalk in Berlin, Germany
Courtesy: Sophie Lokatis, Free University of Berlin
Urban sidewalks could be unexpected refuges for wild bees and other insects, according to a study on the streets of Berlin.
Sophie Locatis of the Free University of Berlin and her colleagues surveyed 200-meter-long sidewalk sections at 12 locations in Berlin, Germany. They recorded the locations of insect nests and collected insects found at the nest entrances, crawling on the sidewalk, and flying within one meter of the ground. They also analyzed the soil around the nests using DNA sequencing techniques.
