Wild honeybee project in Netherlands
Koen de Louw
"Honeybees in the wild are decimated," said James E. Tew, an associate professor of entomology at Ohio State and honeybee researcher.
"India’s Kullu Valley in the Himalayan Mountains is famous for its apple orchards and farms. But flowering plants are disappearing, and the numbers of pollinators such as bees and butterflies are declining. Crops are suffering, and farmers must “hire out”
bees to ensure pollination. These changes are threatening the region’s traditional agriculture and its financial stability." writes Earthwatch Institute on its website.
Here is what Koen de Louw sent in from Netherlands)
In our country(Netherlands) and many parts of Europe, its very rare to have places where honeybees can truly
be wild without interference. When hyves do swarm they mostly can't find a new home here.
Because of the lack of old trees or caves. sometimes they end up in buildings.
Instead of giving the hyves a box ( so as beekeepers we can benefit from the honey and pollination), we give them a hollow space in a tree or a sculptured trunk. This way we still benefit from pollination but the honeybees
will be left untouched.
We think in the first place honeybees should be seen as wild animals and not as domesticated.
If we as humanity really want to change things for the positive, we should look at nature differently and protect it, even for our own survival. With our project and vision we recognize the honeybees as wild animals in the
first place. We are depended on honeybees so they should be a protected species. Can't wait for that day to come.
Here are some pictures from the wild honeybee project. The making of the sculptures and the hyves in the trees.
(Koen de Louw, Wild honeybee project. He can be contacted at Koen de louw (kdelouw@gmail.com)