Glossary

info flora

info flora is the national data and information centre for Swiss flora and functions as a competence centre for information on wild plants in Switzerland. info flora supports the protection of native wild plants with the Red List of endangered species, among other things, and provides us with information on the regional Red Lists and the indicator values of the plants for our database. We can also link directly to their website for detailed information

Nesting Structures

The creation of suitable nesting sites is a key measure for the promotion of wild bees. Their needs vary greatly: rocks and walls are favoured, as are deadwood or sand and clay. What all nesting sites have in common, however, is that they should be sunny and close to a large supply of food. You can find an overview of nesting sites favoured by wild bees here.

Pollen Sources

Pollen sources are plants from which wild bees and honey bees collect pollen for their brood or as food for themselves. Wild bees have different collection methods, some collect on their legs, abdomen, head or mouthparts 

Rote Liste

The Red List, or more precisely the Red List of Threatened Species, originally known as the Red Data Book, is the list of animal and plant species at risk of extinction worldwide published by the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources). Red Lists are scientific expertises on the extinction risk of species, which are intended to serve as a basis for legislators and authorities to take action with regard to species, nature and environmental protection. In Switzerland, the Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN) publishes the national Red Lists, which differ from the international Red Lists due to their regional reference. They can take geographical particularities into account and enable a more comprehensive representation of species protection on site. 

When prioritising our plant recommendations, we are guided by the national Red List of Vascular Plants 2019 with the regional specifications (according to info flora). However, it is important to note: If the “wrong” species are selected or the seeds are not suited to the local conditions, the damage will be greater than the benefit. info flora has compiled a “green list” for this purpose. Recommended plants can be checked locally using the “green list tool”.

However, the aim is also to promote endangered plants that are potential pollen sources for wild bees. This should be consulted with the respective municipalities or nature conservation organisations in order to identify synergies.

Further information on the green list

Location Factors

Various factors at your location influence the suitability of plants for promoting your target species. We use Landolt's indicator values to characterise the site factors of plants in mixed crops, based on data from info flora. You can specify the following areas.

• Light conditions

• Soil moisture

• Nutrient content

• Soil permeability

• pH value of the soil

This will provide a more accurate result when selecting plants / pollen sources. If these factors are not known, select “all applicable”.

Target Species

By target species we mean the bees that should be promoted in your location. Of the 574 wild bee species known in Switzerland, not all are equally endangered. In addition, the distribution data show large regional differences, so that the support measures can also vary depending on the situation. We compare the flowering time of the recommended plants with the flight times of the wild bees, sort them accordingly in the first overview and prioritise our recommendations for you based on the endangered status of the target species.