GENERATIONBEE

Youth-led bee initiative · Amsterdam

A new generation is buzzing in Amsterdam

Join young people planting for pollinators, teaching kids about bees and helping make our city more bee-friendly

Extreme close-up of a honeybee's face dusted with pollenHoneybee on a dewy cornflower with a Dutch windmill at sunrise
Bumblebee in flight with full pollen basketsHoneybee drinking from a water droplet on a leaf
Honeybees working on golden honeycombHairy-footed flower bee hovering at lungwort flowers

Who we are

Small creatures. Huge impact.

Generation Bee is a youth-led initiative from Amsterdam, started by Wali Khan with friends from school. We want to build a generation that cares, asks questions and makes a difference.

Our message is simple: even small creatures like bees can have a huge impact, and you don't have to be an expert to help them.

Bumblebee flying towards lavender beside an Amsterdam canal
A bumblebee heading for canal-side lavender

“I want Generation Bee to be a community of people who believe small actions can lead to meaningful change.”

WKWali KhanFounder

Our name

Generation Bee means creating a generation of people who care, who ask questions, and who want to make a difference.

Follow @generationbee.ams

~360

wild bee species live in the Netherlands

1 in 2

of them are on the Dutch red list of threatened species

4 to 10

the ages of the kids in our planting workshops

1 pot

on a balcony is enough to start helping

Species figures: Wageningen University & Research.

A large wild honeybee colony hanging from a tree branch on a farmHoneybee visiting a blue Siberian squill flower

Why bees?

It started with one hive

“In Pakistan, most people only linked bees with honey. Seeing a huge hive at our farm in Lahore taken down for its honey really upset me. Back in Amsterdam, I wanted to change that.”

Wali Khan, founder

Bees don't just sting. And they don't just make honey.

Most bees are gentle, and most never make honey at all. They pollinate the flowers, fruit and vegetables that our cities and farms depend on.

Know your bees

Meet our neighbours

Amsterdam is home to far more than honeybees. Here are a few you can spot this year.

How you can help

You don't have to be an expert

Four simple things anyone can do this week, from a balcony in De Pijp to a schoolyard in Noord.

01

Plant bee flowers

Even one pot on a balcony helps. Crocus, lavender and grape hyacinth are great to start.

02

Help a tired bee

Offer a drop of sugar water on a spoon. Never honey.

03

Build a bee hotel

Hollow stems and drilled wood give solitary bees a safe place to nest.

04

Leave a wild corner

Bare soil and a little mess are home to ground-nesting bees.

Join the swarm

Come help us keep Amsterdam buzzing

Want to volunteer at a planting workshop, bring Generation Bee to your school or work with us? Send us a message and we will be in touch.

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