The series of lit fires and destruction that have affected the beekeepers of the Bos en Golf bee park in Assen since 2019 are estimated to have killed nearly half a million bees. Kees Anema, 86, is considering quitting.
A whisper-soft hum floats through the woods on the Pitteloseweg in Assen, a half-paved and dead-end road that ends straight in the green. This is where the Daan Huizingapad begins, named after PvdA member Daan Huizinga (1921-1988), one of the administrators who was taken hostage in 1978 by Moluccan militants in the provincial government building of Assen.
‘We should have seen whole swarms by now’
The path leads to the Bos en Golf bee park, which is located in a public walking area. Kees Anema drives his car slowly along the road and stops in front of his apiary that he built himself years ago. He gets out and quietly walks to the stable.
Bees fly back and forth and bring honey and pollen from the surrounding willows and plants to the hive. Everything breathes peace and tranquility. Apart from Anema’s footsteps and the buzzing of the bees, only the chirping of birds can be heard. But it is anything but peaceful.
Anema gestures to one of the cupboards. “It seems like a lot, but that is no more than twenty or thirty thousand bees. But now it’s high season, we should have seen whole swarms by now. Sixty thousand or so.”
A few weeks ago, one of his cupboards was set on fire. “The combs are built by the bees from self-produced wax. So all combs burn quickly when fire comes to them. Thousands of bees were killed. But they have also knocked over the cupboards.” This happened just before Christmas. The bee colony did not survive the cold. “I usually give my honey to my children and friends. I also eat it myself. But this year it won’t work. That’s the third time now.”
Youth uses apiary as a hangout
Anema’s apiary is next to the one that burned down this week. The blackened beams and planks lie like an ugly scar between the greenery. He thinks aloud about quitting. “If this doesn’t stop, I don’t see any other option.”
The bee society has about 45 members who, spread over six stables, each keep an average of five hives with – in high season – about 50,000 bees. “The nuisance started in the spring of corona,” says board member Rob Smeenk. “At first we thought it was about youth who were bored. We expected it to pass, but it didn’t.”
According to him, one of the apiaries, which is right next to Kees’s, is a place for youth to hang out. “There have been several fires there. They also demolished everything.” With all the consequences for the bees. “I think about half a million bees have been killed.”
The association always reports. Anema: ,,But yes, you have to catch them in the act. Otherwise the police can’t do anything.” He walks to his neighbour’s apiary, which has been bombed into a hangout by youth. The beekeeper feels the damaged wood and with slight bewilderment examines the charred remains of an immense fire. He sighs. “Who does that? It’s such a shame. It takes a lot of time to build up a bee colony. And honey is such a beautiful product. So wonderful.”