A record number of bees was counted at the fourth National Bee Census this weekend. More than 9,000 people have recorded more than 170,000 bees to date.
That number can still rise, as people can hand in their counting forms until Monday evening. Last year, some 130,000 bees were counted by 10,000 people.
The fact that thousands of people again took part in the count is good news for the wild bee, says bee expert at Naturalis Koos Biesmeijer. “The annual garden counts contribute to the research into wild bees in the Netherlands. It gives us new insight into, for example, the differences between regions, or the urban environment and the countryside.”
How are bees in the Netherlands?
- In the Netherlands, half of all 358 bee species are endangered.
- Scientists say this is alarming: eighty percent of our edible crops depend on pollination by bees and other insects.
- The greatest threat to bees is lack of food and nesting facilities.
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The data from this edition has yet to be analyzed in detail, but Biesmeijer does not have the impression that there is a decline in bees in the urban area. “In recent years, a lot of attention has been paid to bees. Not only have many municipalities improved their mowing policy, but many garden owners have also paid more attention to a natural and bee-rich garden. More greenery and flowers, fewer tiles and a bee hotel have made many gardens more attractive to them. bees. “
Experts previously feared that the winter cold in April could have an effect on the number of bumblebees counted. Yet this is not reflected in the observed numbers: for the bumblebees it is even higher per census location than during the previous count. “Still, it remains surprising that most bumblebee queens survived the cold of early April,” says Vincent Kalkman, also bee expert at Naturalis.
Honey bee big winner, horned mason bee knocked off the podium
As in the previous three years, the honey bee is by far the most counted species, with more than 45,000 bees counted. In many places in the city hobby beekeepers have hives and their bees fan out over the residential areas.
Just like last year, the red mason bee is in second place. The horned mason bee has been knocked off the stage by the earth bumblebee this year.
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