Councilor Linda Voortman (Green & Animal Welfare): “Utrecht is a bee city, we are very committed to that. Bees are important for people and nature. They ensure that many different types of plants continue to exist. But bees are struggling, especially in the province of Utrecht. This is evident from recent studies. That is why we are especially happy with the newly discovered bee species in the city. On to more.”

Research on the number of bees
A bee expert from EIS Knowledge Center Insects conducts annual research in Utrecht on the number of bees. Each year in a different part of the city. Useful information comes from this that we can use to protect and stimulate wild bees in Utrecht.

According to EIS, more than half of the bee species in the Netherlands are now threatened with extinction.

Utrecht helps the bees
In Utrecht, we help the bees wherever we can. We do this, for example, by creating special bee burrows in the city. These are bee hotels in the ground. Different species of wild bees live together there. About 80% of wild bee species nest underground. We already have seven bee burrows in the city. Green roofs are also a favorite place for bees to hang out. For this, Utrechters can also apply for a subsidy. Furthermore, residents can help by planting more organic and native flowers in the garden or on the balcony, where possible, and also by making bee hotels and burrows themselves. Information on this can be found at www.utrecht.nl/bijen