Beemster Bijenlint is all-you-can-eat restaurant for insects
If you drive through the Beemster polder, you will see an increasing number of farms with a corridor of cheerful, colourful flowers. That is the Beemster Bee corridor , which provides food for all sorts of insects. It is a godsend for the endangered wild bee, which plays a crucial role in the pollination of all sorts of flowers, vegetables and fruit. But butterflies and other insects also feast on this feast.
"I think the Beemster Bee corridor is a very beautiful landscape element," says Johan. "Biodiversity to me is: an alternation of animals, grass, vegetables and flowers. The flowers also provide nature-friendly crop protection, adds Jeannette: "The nice thing is that certain good insects that are attracted to these flowers eat the bugs that can be found in the maize in our farm."
The Beemster Bee corridor blooms from spring to autumn. The different flowers alternate, so the colour of the ribbon changes constantly. Johan: "They are annuals, so around February we mow them and mix them into the soil as natural fertiliser.