German Federal Minister of Agriculture Cem Özdemir showed off his balcony, which is to become a “canteen for bees”. The problem is that there are no plants to attract beneficial insects.
Cem Özdemir suffered a media blunder, reports the German Agrarheute. The head of the Ministry of Agriculture boasted on social media that he was planting plants on his balcony that would feed bees and other beneficial pollinating insects. However, in the published photo, the minister poses in front of boxes with plants that are completely useless to insects.
Özdemir boasts in posts on his profiles that as a result of his gardening activities, “the balcony becomes a buffet for bees and other useful insects.” Meanwhile, as Internet users noticed, the minister planted bamboos in boxes on his balcony, which do not produce pollen and nectar, so they will not attract bees or other pollinators. Moreover, they are exotic plants, not native ones – which many commentators point out to the minister.
Panda garden
Internet users ridicule Özdemir that his post is probably a late and unconscious April Fool’s joke. One of them suggests the minister to plant hemp in more pots, and another suggests: “You can also put plastic tulips, they are even easier to care for.” Even the Nature Conservation Association (Nabu) commented: “An interesting choice of plants… for pandas. We look forward to more photos with local wild plants. If you still need some botany tips, feel free to hit us up. Our horticulture team also makes home visits.”
The “friendly” people immediately came to the “green” minister’s aid, writing that perhaps there are also plant species useful for insects growing on his balcony, but these cannot be seen in the published photos. As a result, the image of the federal head of the Ministry of Agriculture suffered greatly. It turned out that the minister had no idea about the issues he had been talking about for years…
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