31 May to 7 June: Bee Week

From 31 May to 7 June, the Environment Department is organising the 13th edition of Bee Week in Flanders. Through this campaign, the department aims to encourage citizens, schools, businesses and local authorities to provide a high-quality, year-round food supply for bees, butterflies and other pollinators. Chocolatier Dominique Persoone and presenter Britt Van Marsenille are once again this year’s ambassadors and patrons of the campaign.

Intangible heritage can also contribute to the care of nature and biodiversity. A fine example of this is the heritage community of beekeepers. Beekeepers possess a wealth of knowledge about bees, food plants and flowering periods. By consciously planting specific native plants, they can help to strengthen the so-called ‘flowering arc’: a succession of flowering plants throughout the year, ensuring that pollinators find food at different times. In doing so, beekeepers take into account what is already growing in the area, from wild plants to agricultural crops. In this way, they can enrich their immediate surroundings with annual and perennial plants. This not only benefits honeybees but also strengthens the area’s capacity to support wild bees and other pollinators.

During Bee Week, various activities are being organised across Flanders on the theme of ‘Bees and Biodiversity’. The programme includes: visits to bee reserves, cycle routes, a bumblebee weekend, eco-garden days and much more. On Sunday 31 May, the Grand Bee Festival will take place at Domein Kiewit, Putvennestraat 108 in Hasselt. The full calendar of events is available on the Bee Week website.