It’s really going to happen! On Wednesday 11 June, the third BeeTotem of Amsterdam will be unveiled in the Plantage: the Hortus BeeTotem. We in the Plantage neighbourhood are thereby adopting the Reseda mask bee.
The habitat of wild bees in the countryside is under pressure. That is why wild bees are fleeing to the city. Amsterdam alone has 104 fled wild bee species, the so-called Refubees.
Reseda mask bee
By planting the right flowers for specific wild bees in strategic places (‘dispersal policy’), buffer zones are created where the bees can eat, pollinate and survive. The Reseda mask bee was chosen for the Plantage neighbourhood because it was spotted in this neighbourhood during an Amsterdam bee count.
Campaign for the wild bee
This summer, Beetotems for Refubees is launching a new campaign to help wild bees survive in the city, with the national launch in Leiden with the placement of the Naturalis BeeTotem. The Hortus BeeTotem in the Plantage also organises activities, such as the Bee Circus and recruiting residents and organisations who want to place the right plants for ‘our’ bee on their balcony and in the garden.
Beetotems for Refubees
The BeeTotem for Refubees is an initiative of Hans Kalliwoda, intervention artist and co-director of the Urban Ecology & Ecocities Lab (TU Delft). Here you can find more information about Refubees and the extensive and scientifically substantiated project.
Photo: the Reseda mask bee that is adopted in the Plantage neighbourhood