Wind turbine bases become a refuge for wild bees

A study of farmland in western Poland found that the unmown areas around wind turbine bases are a haven for wild bees. Bee numbers and diversity there matched, and sometimes exceeded, those of nearby natural grassland. Sprayed crop fields around them held far fewer bees. The reason is simple: solitary wild bees nest in undisturbed soil, which ploughed fields lack. The effect was strongest where grassland was far away. The condition is that the turbine bases are kept free of herbicides. In intensively farmed areas such as Loznitsa, this is a direct opportunity for pollinators. Source: EcoPortal, August 2026