{"id":97894,"date":"2019-04-17T15:16:49","date_gmt":"2019-04-17T13:16:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/?p=97894"},"modified":"2026-01-20T10:29:53","modified_gmt":"2026-01-20T09:29:53","slug":"new-bee-colony-and-campus-garden-almost-ready-for-arrival-of-honey-bees","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2019\/04\/17\/new-bee-colony-and-campus-garden-almost-ready-for-arrival-of-honey-bees\/","title":{"rendered":"New bee colony and campus garden almost ready for arrival of honey bees"},"content":{"rendered":"

Students involved in the \u2018Edible EUR\u2019 student initiative will be getting to work cultivating edible plants in the garden. They\u2019ve had to wait a long time for their \u2018little farm\u2019. The plan has been in place for almost two years, but it was only accepted at the end of last year. \u201cBefore this we had a temporary garden next to the Sport Centre\u201d, says Bob van der Haar, founder of Edible EUR. He\u2019s extremely enthusiastic when it comes to \u2018their\u2019 future edible garden. \u201cSustainable food production is what we\u2019re all about and fortunately, the university sees how important that is.\u201d<\/p>\n

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The new campus garden<\/span><\/p><\/figcaption><\/figure>

This same garden will also feature an bee yard. The bees should be able to occupy the three by four meter habitat when it\u2019s ready by the end of this week. \u201cWe\u2019re going to establish biodynamic beekeeping here\u201d, explains Ter Haar. \u201cThat means our role as beekeepers isn\u2019t about harvesting the honey, it\u2019s purely for the continued survival of the bees themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n

Biodiversity<\/h2>
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From left to right: Rinske Kreukniet, Esmee Tanis And Bob ter Haar<\/span><\/p><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>

\u2018Bees are indispensable\u2019 is Rinske Kreukniet\u2019s motto. She is a Rotterdam-based beekeeper currently working with Edible EUR and the university. In this project, Kreukniet provides advice on practically everything, ranging from the design to how the bee yard should be positioned. \u201cWe\u2019re also drafting guidelines for beekeeping.\u201d<\/p>\n

In addition to the bee yard, the garden will also feature bee \u2018hotels\u2019. These are areas for \u2018visiting\u2019 wild bees or insects. \u201cAll winged insects, such as butterflies and flies, are also an integral part of ecological health\u201d, explains Ter Haar.<\/p>\n

Waiting for the bees<\/h2>
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The bee yard in the make<\/span><\/p><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>

The bee yard will be ready for use this week, but the arrival of the bees depends on the season. \u201cIt\u2019s been cold for the past little while, so I expect the first swarms will arrive in about four weeks\u201d, says Kreukniet. \u201cYou can\u2019t simply move an existing bee colony to another location, so we have to wait until the next queen is born.\u201d When the new queen is born, the old queen leaves and takes around thirty-thousand bees with her. \u201cWhen they start looking for a new home and swarm on a branch, for example, I can then \u2018collect\u2019 the bees using a beehive and relocate them to the new bee yard.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\t

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De redactie<\/h2>\n\t\t\n\t\t
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