European Cities, Building Bee Gardens on Tops of Bus Stops

_SEPTEMBER 2022

With the number of bees decreasing rapidly, there is a movement in Europe to build bee gardens on the tops of bus stops. They have been putting flowering plants on the bus stops so that they can help stabilize the number of bees.

In England alone, the outdoor advertising company Clear Channel UK is planning to put 1,000 bee gardens on the roofs of bus stops. They have been making such gardens since last year, in cities like Cardiff, Derby, and New Castle. According to the research done in England most recently, the number of bees has decreased by up to 60% compared to the number in 2004. The bus stop bee garden movement originally started in the Netherlands in 2018, and has spread to nearby countries such as Denmark and Sweden. Clear Channel UK also has plans to build the gardens in France and Belgium. It is rather easy to maintain these gardens, the company stated, “All they have to do is uproot the weeds twice a year.”

The movement originally started in Netherlands as the country relies heavily on exporting farming products. Holland has seen
drastic changes in the production of crops due to the decreasing number of bees. To the country’s relief, according to further research, the effort has resulted in the number of bees stabilizing.

Image Source: gettyimagesbank

By. Ian Kang