Buzzing

In 2018 The Netherlands announced the national pollinator strategy, seeking to provide insects with better nesting and feeding opportunities to promote the coexistence between nature and the country’s heavily urbanised environment.

The Netherlands is second only to the US in terms of the export of agricultural products. The small European country is a powerhouse of produce, is the world’s largest producer of flowers, and has a strong history of tailoring its land to suite its needs.

For a country that relies greatly on agricultural production, there is substantial anxiety regarding the health of its insect population. Akin to many nations, they have observed a severe decline in insect population over the years; and most worryingly, the decline of the bee population.

This has given rise to many environmental solutions to help wilds bees thrive: Small & cheap wooden “bee hotels”, the construction of large, buried structures in the middle of big cities for bees to nest in during the winter months, the changing of the species of plants set up in public spaces to more bee-friendly ones… The list is long.
As the country continues to grow, The Netherlands is taking steps towards the conservation of its wild bees through intelligent initiatives that blend the urban and natural environments in a harmonious manner.