VDI 4340 Blatt 2:2026-02

The standard aims to promote wild bees in arable landscapes by establishing wild bee habitats. The standard describes ways to promote wild bees by creating food habitats and nesting habitats. The main focus of the standard is on the composition of regionally specific and locally native seed mixtures for wild bee pastures and the creation and maintenance of nesting sites for ground-nesting wild bee species. The standard also provides guidance on the selection of suitable locations for the permanent establishment of wild bee pastures and on the legal and normative framework conditions to be observed. In view of the decline in wild bee diversity, the standard thus outlines methods for the long-term promotion of wild bees in arable landscapes. In addition, the standard can be used to specifically protect native wild bee species in their habitats. The standard also takes climate adaptation aspects into account: climate resilience will become increasingly important when selecting plant species for a measure. Climate change poses a major challenge for wild bees and many other animal groups, which must be addressed when planning measures with an adapted species spectrum. Knowledge of the site requirements of plant species can be used to develop climate-resilient plant populations for the respective region without having to resort to species that originate from distant areas or even other climate zones. Instead, it is usually possible to respond to changing climatic conditions with species from the respective regions, as species from a wide variety of site types are available here. For example, plants from semi-arid grasslands are extremely well adapted to drought stress. The standard was developed as part of the BienABest joint project. The BienABest project was funded until December 2023 by the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN) as part of the Federal Biological Diversity Programme with funds from the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV). The project also received financial support from the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of the Environment, Climate and Energy, BASF SE and Bayer AG.

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