The BeesUp symposium on "Ground-nesting Wild Bees" held in March 2024 at the Julius Kühn Institute in Braunschweig, Germany, brought together experts to explore various aspects of ground-nesting wild bee behaviours and habitats. The symposium was organised under the joint project BeesUp and supported by the Federal Biodiversity Programme of the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation with the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety, and Consumer Protection. It provided a platform for attendees to engage in presentations and discussions on key topics, including research methods, nesting site creation, species-specific investigations, plant protection products, and land use and landscape configuration.

The symposium facilitated the exchange of knowledge and strategies aimed at comprehensively understanding and conserving ground-nesting wild bee populations across diverse landscapes and habitats.

On the second day, Sara Hellström from MLU Halle presented her research titled "Anthophora plumipes as a prospective model species for toxicological experiments on ground-nesting bees." Her study, conducted within the framework of the PoshBee project, focused on testing the sensitivity of the ground-nesting bee species Anthophora plumipes to soil contaminated with pesticides. Her findings revealed that this particular ground-nesting bee species appears to exhibit resilience to the impacts of pesticide-contaminated soil.

During her presentation, Sara acknowledged the significance of both PoshBee and WildPosh projects, emphasising the continuity and synergy between them. Additionally, Prof. Robert Paxton (MLU Halle) was present at the event, showcasing the new WildPosh poster and providing insights into the project's objectives and actions.