Expo ‘to Bee or not to Bee’ in Veurne

In the expo, GoodPlanet and Aculea, (the wild bee and wasp working group of Natuurpunt) give bees the leading role. The photos on the panels were mainly taken by the Belgian photographer and beekeeper Dieter Telemans, but also by specialists from Aculea and by the well-known French photographer and filmmaker Yann Arthus-Bertrand.

Not only honeybees are important

In Belgium, 400 species of wild bees take care of pollination. There are even 20,000 species worldwide. A wonderful world that brings life to our gardens day after day. Black bees, bumblebees, wallpapering bees, who ‘wallpaper’ their nest with pieces of leaves, mason bees, who make a nest of stones and even cuckoo bees who lay their eggs in other bees’ nests.

An impressive diversity that deserves an exhibition while it is still possible. Because our bees are not doing well. The exhibition shows the possible causes of the current bee mortality, such as the loss of biodiversity, the consequences of monoculture and pesticides.

Nevertheless, the initiators want to tell a positive story by showing that solutions exist and are sometimes surprisingly simple. Beautiful images and inspiring testimonials make you realize that everyone can help the bees. On May 1, a special program has been developed with an activity booklet. There is a storytelling theater about bees, a bee wave and pollen game, a bee jumping castle explanation by beekeepers and much more. At Visit Veurne you can pick up a free DIY booklet and get started with the children.

The expo runs from April 21 to June 2 in the Vaubanpark in Veurne.