Bee Museum Duisburg
Coordinates: 51 ° 23 ′ 51.4 " N , 6 ° 39 ′ 20" E
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| Data | |
|---|---|
| place | Duisburg Rumeln-Kaldenhausen |
| Art |
Natural History Museum
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| Number of visitors (annually) | ~ 2000 |
| operator |
District Beekeeping Association Duisburg e. V.
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| Website | |
| ISIL | DE-MUS-988410 ISIL DE-MUS-988410 |
The bee museum of the district beekeeping association Duisburg e. V. in Rumeln-Kaldenhausen is a small natural history museum about beekeeping. It is located in a pavilion on the grounds of the Albert Einstein High School.
On around 400 m² it houses an exhibition room with exhibits from beekeeping history and bee research. In addition, it deals with the protection of other hymenoptera such as wasps and ants and shows the differences between the animal species and their way of life. As a training and further education company of the German Beekeeping Association, it is a training center for young beekeepers and a meeting place for the exchange of experiences. Special events, courses and lectures with speakers and scientists from German bee institutes and universities take place regularly. The bee museum is open on Wednesday and Saturday.
history
In 1959 the Beekeeping Association Duisburg e. V. a bee museum in Duisburg-Wedau . It was housed in the "Am See" school until 1996. A steadily growing collection and increasing numbers of visitors, especially from school classes in the context of biology lessons, made it necessary to move in 1997 for reasons of space.
The museum found a new home in the vacant rooms of the former school on Kirchfeldstrasse in Duisburg-Kaldenhausen. They offered space for the numerous exhibits and a seminar room with modern technical equipment and enough seats for the visitors. But larger club meetings with national and international beekeeping associations, courses and research projects were now also possible. There was also a library and a museum shop.
Six years later, another move was due. The bee museum had to give way to a new building area. Since October 1, 2013, the bee museum has been located on the grounds of the Albert Einstein Grammar School at Schulallee 11.
With the bee museum and the beekeeping association, the Ant Conservation Center North Rhine-Westphalia e. V. and the working group Studio der Heimat e. V. into the building.
The museum is looked after by the association members on a voluntary basis.
exhibition
The Bee Museum dedicates its exhibition to insects and beekeeping. The focus is on keeping the honey bee as a farm animal, the history and tools of beekeeping, bee products, behavioral research, as well as the varroa mite and bee death . A glass beehive box allows you to observe the behavior of the bees in the hive and the queen laying eggs all year round. You will be initiated into the language of bees , learn to distinguish the members of the insect state and learn how and how honeycomb and brood combs can be recognized.
The extensive collection of bee houses is probably unique in Germany. Starting with the hollowed out tree trunks of the Zeidlerei , to the braided straw baskets with cow patties painted by the heather beekeepers , to the wooden magazine hives that are standard today. Special features are the replica of a beehive from a Stone Age cave painting, a banishing basket with a demon face to keep thieves from stealing honey and a straw basket in the shape of St. Ambrose , the patron saint of beekeepers.
During a guided tour you can learn a lot about the work of beekeepers and beekeeping based on the exhibits. If you want to know how much a filled honeycomb weighs, you can also find out in the BiMu. The association owns a collection of honeys from all over the world. The most expensive of these is from Saudi Arabia . A glass of it costs between 150 and 200 €.
Especially for the pollination of fruit and vegetable plants in food production, the bee is the third most important livestock in agriculture. Honey, on the other hand, is only a by-product. Bee products are also used in cosmetics and alternative medicine . In order to maintain a healthy bee , there are breeding books about queens and drones . Depending on the vintage, the queen is affixed with a small, colored plaque that shows her age. There are special retaining clips for this purpose. Most beekeepers, however, do without them and mark them by hand. The males are used as exercise objects for the hard work.
Despite being cared for, bee colonies keep dying. The Varroa mite, introduced from Asia in 1975, has become a serious threat to honeybees. One tries to contain the infestation with formic acid . In addition, there is a lack of food due to monocultures , the use of pesticides , extreme weather conditions and, more recently, the massive expansion of the mobile network . The radiation disturbs the sense of direction and makes the insects sterile.
Although the honey bee has lived in human care for centuries, there is always something new to discover for apidologists . The devices from the bee research from Fritz Haverkamp from the 1970s look a little strange. Including a special polishing filter, an electronic bee counting machine or the martial-looking bee direction finding device. Outside in the courtyard is a row of experimental beehives from the Ruhr University in Bochum .
Another shelf is dedicated to wild relatives such as bumblebees and solitary bees and other hymenoptera such as wasps, hornets and ants. As natural pest fighters, they are also important for the ecosystem . Using models and preparations, you can learn to distinguish wasps from honey bees, what the nests and life cycle look like and what you can do to preserve ants, wild bees and hornets in the garden.
The annual number of visitors is currently around 2,000, mostly kindergartens, schoolchildren and seminar visitors. In order to make the museum more attractive for visitors, a new exhibition concept is being worked on together with the Rhein-Waal University of Applied Sciences in Kamp-Lintfort . A multimedia “Beechive”, an interactive bee archive, is being developed which, in addition to supplementary information and videos on bees and beekeeping, shows other exhibits that would not have a place in the pavilion. In the outdoor area, a bee-friendly garden is created, which is seasoned with different flowering plants.
See also
Web links
- Official website of the bee museum and the Kreisimkerverband Duisburg e. V
- LVR museum guide rheinischemuseen.de: "Bee Museum Duisburg"
- Karol Makiola: "IMV member supports the bee museum"; In: Automation Practice (September 1, 2006)
- Rhein-Waal University of Applied Sciences News: "New exhibition concept for the Duisburg Bee Museum"