Anyone who travels privately in a car knows this only too well: whether in a city, on a country road or on the motorway, when you arrive at your destination, there are residues of midges or flies on the windscreen. Even cyclists know something similar: insects and micro-organisms are hoping for a quick lift - residues on helmets and sunglasses can be traced back to this.
Knowledge about biodiversity on windscreens
There are also insect residues on our Postbuses. These insect residues are now helping the Institute of Zoology at the University of Innsbruck with an innovative research project that Postbus is supporting. Postbuses in Tyrol, Carinthia, Lower Austria and Upper Austria are being used to analyse the diversity of insects and microorganisms. The insect residues on the windows of the Postbuses serve as the starting material. Institute employees take samples three times a month along selected bus routes in each participating province. In the evening, the front areas of the Postbuses are wiped with microfibre cloths, which are then washed. Insect DNA is extracted from the water using special filters. The data provides information on which flies, mosquitoes, bees and also introduced (invasive) species are present in the respective regions.
And that's why Postbus is supporting the project, because the research project makes a significant contribution to the study of biodiversity and the preservation of our ecosystem and thus to the protection of our environment. The project will be wiping, washing and analysing until September. The research results should then be available from autumn 2025.