The annual national bee count to monitor how wild bees in the Netherlands are doing is starting on Monday and will last until March 24.

Anyone with a balcony, garden or a nearby piece of greenery is welcome to participate in the count.

There are some 360 bee species in the Netherlands, half of which are on the red list of threatened species. Around 34 species have already become extinct.

The annual count is meant to monitor bee numbers and promote ways of stopping their decline. Bees and other insects are important because they pollinate 80% of our edible plants and almost 90% of our wild plants.

Last year some 3,400 volunteers counted an average of 15 bees and other pollinating insects each during the counting period, five fewer than were spotted last year and the year before.

The honey bee was seen most often, with a total of 11,000 sightings, followed by the European orchard bee and the red mason bee and, lower down the list, the bumble bee.

The average number of bees spotted in the 2023 annual bee count was down compared with previous years because more have been dying off in winter. The chilly spring did not help because bees need to warm up before they can fly.

Although the bees may have been encouraged to show themselves in the last few days, the coming week will be blustery and colder, weather bureau Weeronline predicted, with temperatures no higher than 11°C.