Deutsche Bahn AG is setting up nesting aids for bumblebees, wild bees, and other insects at various locations. Whether on station forecourts, next to maintenance facilities, or near logistics warehouses—these artificially created nesting and overwintering structures are made of natural materials such as wooden blocks, wood wool, straw, reeds, bamboo sticks, brushwood, peat, and clay — and can provide suitable insect species with places to nest and overwinter.
Insect hotels at stations
At the Hamburg-Harburg train station, for example, DB has replanted the areas around the platforms and built an insect hotel. There, mason bees, ladybugs, and other flying insects can nest and hibernate. At the Renningen station in Baden-Württemberg, there are also several insect hotels on the flowering meadow that was created there.
Insect hotels on depot grounds
At the ICE maintenance depots in Rummelsburg, Berlin, and Leipzig, there are two insect hotels at each location, which were built in collaboration with the partner gartenetage. In Rummelsburg, the weatherproof insect hotels are located right next to a 2,800-square-meter rainwater infiltration area where a wildflower meadow has been planted. In addition, Deutsche Bahn AG graduate trainees built an insect hotel on the grounds of the DB Regio facility in Düsseldorf and created a wildflower meadow covering approximately 200 square meters.
Insect hotels along the railroad line
Throughout 2024, a total of 100 insect hotels were installed along the entire length of the Südostbayernbahn (SOB) railroad line.
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