TSG opens "Insect Arena"

In Germany, the numbers of wild bees are dwindling every year. "We have a close connection to nature and want to establish an ecological equilibrium with our new insect hotel," says Maik Grimm, head of greenkeeping at TSG Hoffenheim.

The 48-year-old's team built the insect hotel in the space of three weeks at the entrance to the TSG training centre in Zuzenhausen. "The guys all did a great job and put my idea into practice brilliantly. We deliberately chose this location because there is a small stream right next to it that supplies the bees with water," says Grimm. A wild flower meadow has been created behind the hotel, which is expected to start sprouting in the coming weeks.

In future, the insect hotel is to become a veritable "hotel chain", as such nesting aids are also planned at other TSG locations. "Environmental protection, ecology and sustainability are the really big issues of our time. As a club, we have dedicated ourselves to these issues for many years. They are part of our DNA," says TSG managing director Frank Briel, who was immediately enthusiastic about the greenkeeper initiative.

Yet the hotel, which is made mainly of hardwood but also of bricks, is still not fully booked. The wild bees are expected to check-in in the next few days and weeks. Other insect species, however, have already moved into their "rooms".