Bees are thriving in Amsterdam

[Palinurus]

Source: _http://www.nltimes.nl/2015/03/05/bees-making-comeback-amsterdam/

Bees making a comeback in Amsterdam

Posted on Mar 5, 2015 by Taneli Savela

European honeybees in a hive (Picture: WIkimedia Commons / Nick Pitsas, CSIRO)

The number of wild bee species increased by twenty percent in Amsterdam between 2000 and 2014, city alderman Abdeluheb Choho said in a release on Thursday. The different species rose from 51 to 61, which is a good indicator of the ecological wealth of the city, Amsterdam claimed.

The city attributes the developing bee population with green spaces that are maintained without the use of poisons or pesticides. Wildflower gardens have been built in various places and an increase in focus on Amsterdam’s ecological structure are also factors, Choho says. There are even specific projects launched and implemented for bees.

The municipality investigated the spread of the wild bees in 80 different places in the city. Three new species were found and some of the species that were scarce back in 2000 are now flying in great numbers.

Research that started last year shows that there are 34 million honeybees in Amsterdam and 650 bee hives all around the city, Amsterdam revealed.

Additional info:

_http://www.dutchnews.nl/news/archives/2015/03/amsterdam-bee-population-is-booming/
_http://www.blindpainters.org/beecare/
_http://www.overdose.am/2012/11/20/get-urban-go-bee-keeping/
_http://www.jlgrealestate.com/2013/10/22/beekeeping-in-amsterdam/
_http://houseofbees.com/bee-parks-in-amsterdam/
_http://www.bijenpark.nl/diversen.htm#beepark
_http://www.tedxamsterdam.com/2014/10/plight-bees-award-finalist-linda-tahboun/
_http://luciledegodoy.com/2015/02/07/the-bees-tables-in-amsterdam/

 

[casper]

No bees, no pollination, no fruit, no food, no people.
The best human friend is not a dog, but bees :) :) :)

 

[duyunne]

Palinurus - thanks for the post, this made me smile.

 

[cope]

Don't smile too soon. I noticed not a single bee, last summer. Lots of hoverflies, bumblebees and wasps, yes. Was a bit worried, and the possible problem is colony collapse disorder.. maybee happened later around Amsterdam?

 

[duyunne]

Don't smile too soon. I noticed not a single bee, last summer. Lots of hoverflies, bumblebees and wasps, yes. Was a bit worried, and the possible problem is colony collapse disorder.. maybee happened later around Amsterdam?

Hi cope, Are you located in the region?

In Canada, I've noticed a reduction and have seen dead bees littering the sidewalks around the turn of the decade. Heartbreaking to behold...

 

[Palinurus]

Don't smile too soon. I noticed not a single bee, last summer. Lots of hoverflies, bumblebees and wasps, yes. Was a bit worried, and the possible problem is colony collapse disorder.. maybee happened later around Amsterdam?

Well, colony collapse disorder is an ongoing phenomenon since many years and I actually read the other day that in Germany this winter 30% of hive populations didn't survive this time 'round, which was said to be about three times the average winter die-off.

I've interpreted the above message about the actual situation in Amsterdam as to be one of recovery ("come-back") from an earlier deteriorating one, mainly brought about due to a series of public and private measures during the past decade aiming at supporting bees in and around the city -- notably in reaction to the increasing mass die-offs in the years before that. The added additional info gives an account of some of the initiatives taken.

I may be dead wrong or overly optimistic about all this, but such assessment was my reason for posting anyway. The bees can be saved when you seriously try -- even if only locally...

 

[cope]

Yeah we do try to make a "mess" for animals to hide under, flourishing herbs, roses for bees, umbellifers for flies, etc.. "nature" is non-excisting in the industrial area around here, while 'compensated for' elsewhere, so we get a lot of stray 2D around here. Most people have no idea how fast exactly nature is collapsing. You don't want to go back to the magic places of your youth. Psychopatic animals and plants have taken over?

 

[cope]

I'll ask around about the amount of bees last summer. Most bees are not from a colony and need not collapse. My general impression is that different fungii are getting stronger, and kill a lot in a wet summer, or after a spraying of round-up upwinds.
And, shure, natural beauty is a big motivator, the something to wake up for!

 

[casper]

Norway saves its bees, for them to build a 'highway' :)
Link:
https://translate.google.hr/translate?sl=hr&tl=en&js=y&prev=_t&hl=hr&ie=UTF-8&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.24sata.hr%2Fznanost%2Fnorveska-spasava-svoje-pcele-za-njih-ce-izgraditi-autocestu-426374&edit-text=

 

[Palinurus]

Thanks for sharing, casper.

It sure makes sense to somehow interconnect all habitats suitable to bees.

I didn't encounter this idea in this specific elaboration as of yet but in other formats it's rather common, like wildlife corridors, special sheltered breeding spaces reserved for lots of different animal species, specific conservation measures for endangered species like owls, bats, frogs and what not...

For bees though, I've never heard of it before. So, thanks again. :)

 

[angelburst29]

Bees are thriving in Moscow, too.

Thousands Of Bees Attack Passenger Plane In Moscow Airport
_http://www.techtimes.com/articles/66946/20150708/thousands-of-bees-attack-passenger-plane-in-moscow-airport.htm

July 7, 2015 - To the passengers of a delayed passenger flight in Moscow, the view was a swarm of bees, just before takeoff.

Thousands of bees settled under a wing and on the windows of the Airbus-319 in Vnukovo Airport, as it was about to takeoff on its way to St. Petersburg.

The Rossiya Airplane had to stay put for a while, as staff immediately responded to the sudden critter attack. Normally, it takes smoking out and vacuuming up to take away a swarm of bees, however reports do not confirm what exactly was done to peel off the bees-coated wing and windows of the plane. Witnesses do say that the airport staff immediately responded and were quick and efficient in removing the bees from the plane's fuselage.

After about an hour, the plane was ready to takeoff, bee-free.

To some, the incident was sudden, however not surprising.

A couple of other incidents involving the attack of a swarm of bees have been reported earlier this year and late last year. In April, for one, thousands of bees swarmed the windows of an Allegiant Airlines plane on its way to Minnesota, before eventually being sucked by the plane's engine. In October last year, another swarm of bees charged against a drone quadcopter on flight over Miami Beach in Florida. Across Southwest America, bees have had an increasing interest in airports in particular.

In England, a report late June tells of thousands of bees that temporarily nested on a hanging basket along a shopping district in Leeds, in search for a new home.

As for the Rossiya aircraft bee attack, staff called two ambulances to stand by in case the bees entered the cabin and attack any of the passengers and crew. Fortunately, the bees never made their way through to the inside of the plane and no one was reported hurt.

 

[Palinurus]

Recent update (Sept. 7, 2018) about the Amsterdam bee situation from an unexpected source (NBC news):

Bees are dying at an alarming rate. Amsterdam may have the answer.