Netstream bee colonies and the summer of 2021

This year, Netstream sponsored a total of three bee colonies. Unfortunately, our bees – and many bees across the country – did not have a good summer. This year, many beekeepers are looking at empty honey jars and worrying about how many of their bees will make it through the winter.

On the one hand, the cold snaps at the start of the year held back the development of the colonies; on the other, food requirements were higher because of brood activity, so some colonies had to be given emergency feed in the form of fondant. The summer was not very kind either: persistent wet weather in particular led to a shortage of pollen in many places.

Now the task is to get the bees safely through the winter!

How can you help?

Unfortunately, we have no influence over the weather. But we can all do our part for biodiversity.

If you have a garden, there are many ways to make it bee-friendly. For example, a wildflower meadow instead of a lawn, native shrubs and flower beds with native flower mixtures that provide bees with pollen and nectar all year round. Not only bees will be delighted, but also butterflies, beetles and many other insects. You can also put out bee-friendly plants on your balcony and window sills.