Wolfgang Voigt argues that honey bees, in addition to their role as honey suppliers and pollinators, are also the richest source of food for insect-eating creatures, with an average of 15 kilograms of bees dying per colony each year.

These include wood ants, which are important for forest health. Perhaps this highlights an important cause of species decline in Central Europe: the absence of bees in the forest as a reason for the lack of food for insectivores.

The author substantiates his thesis with examples from the literature and detailed observations. By assigning an ecologically determined role to ants and bees for the surrounding fauna and flora, the entire ecosystem is given new opportunities.