2024-04-25 12:25:12
Honey bees sit together in their thousands in a hive that has a kind of central heating due to their joint activity, says bee expert and scientific director of Naturalis Koos Biesmeijer. “Bees are cold-blooded and need to warm up to fly,” he explains. Most wild bees only show themselves when the temperature rises towards 15 degrees.
This year during the National Bee Count, more than 40,000 bees, bumblebees and hoverflies were counted by more than 2,300 counters. They counted an average of 18 pollinators at a time, compared to 15 in last year’s count, which is considered a low. The revival is hopeful, although it could also be because groups of counters participated this year, who see more than just one person.
The honey bee is number one, the earth bumble bee comes in second, followed by mason bees, species that can also withstand the cold a little better. In addition to their dense hair, bumblebees also use their wing muscles to keep themselves warm. And a bee hotel in a sunny spot can ensure that mason bees are active despite the cold. “Many wild bees, such as the fox, do not have this and have to warm themselves, which is why we saw fewer of them in this count,” says Biesmeijer.
Cities are increasingly becoming a refuge
The victory of the honey bees, at 16.5 percent of observations, is smaller than in previous years, when a quarter to 35 percent of the spotted pollinators were honey bees. This is probably due to the high winter mortality, although this still needs to be further investigated, says Naturalis.
Biesmeijer emphasizes that cities are an increasingly better refuge for bees. “Help wild bees by sowing native flowers and plants, and provide something blooming in your area all year round, and we will hopefully see another increase in the number of pollinators counted next year.”
Also read:
Our (old) agricultural poison kills bees and hoverflies
Every bee counts is the motto of the National Bee Count. But whatever the result, it is certain that pollinators are having a hard time in the Netherlands. This is partly due to insecticides.
National Bee Count: does the reporter see the same tree bumblebee three times?
Half of the 360 bee species in the Netherlands are threatened. To find out the status of these species and to make people aware of the importance of pollinators, Naturalis, IVN Natuuronderwijs and LandschappenNL organize the National Bee Count.
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