An animal playground

The Sandarium

A sandarium is a bit like a sandpit for children, but for animals. It is a specially designed area filled with different types of sand and natural materials. The sandarium not only provides a habitat, but also important resources for numerous species. Such habitats are crucial for pollination and the maintenance of ecosystems, improve the local microclimate and support a healthy animal population. The Sandarium thus actively contributes to the promotion of biodiversity.

Various animal species can nest, thrive and develop their life cycle in this sand. First and foremost the ground-nesting wild bees, which include three quarters of our native wild bee species. These species cannot nest in dead wood, reeds or similar nesting aids. They lay their eggs in nesting tubes in the ground, which they hollow out themselves beforehand. As these species are dependent on loose soil, sandariums like this one are ideal for providing a suitable nesting site.

The construction of the sandarium on the OTH campus is planned for the end of November! (Pictures to follow)

 

Inhabitants of the sandarium

The ground-nesting wild bee species include species from the families of long-horned bees(Eucera), furrow bees(Halictus and Lasioglossum), sand bees(Andrena), bumblebees(Bombus) and also cuckoo bees, which parasitize ground-nesting wild bee species such as blood bees(Sphecodes). But other animals such as lizards can also lay their eggs in the sandarium. The eggs are then hatched by the sun. Beetles and insect larvae such as the ant lion and wasps such as the common chimney wasp can also live in such a sandarium.

 

Structure of the sandarium

  • The location should be as sunny as possible: this allows the sand to be warmed up by the sun, making the nesting habitat particularly suitable for the development of wild bees.
  • A hole at least 0.5 meters deep is then dug and filled with a drainage layer to allow the water to run off.
  • The larger the sandarium, the more species can use it as a nesting site!
  • The sand is very important. For example, washed river sand (which can also be found in sandboxes) should not be used, but unwashed, coarse sand, as this does not collapse so easily. This allows the wild bees to dig their nesting tubes into the sand.
  • The sandarium is laid out as a sloping pile, as this allows rainwater to run off better and protects the nesting wild bees from flooding.
  • As few plants as possible should grow on the sandarium so that their roots do not block the space of the nesting wild bees.

A little tip: A sandarium can be created anywhere (even on a small balcony)!

 

Further tips for small-scale insect nesting sites