Belgian bumblebees are fighting off disease and plagues across the globe
The Westerlo-based company Biobest is rearing bumblebees to be used in almost all continents not only to pollinate crops, but also to control disease and plagues in a biologically-responsible manner.
Around 30 years ago Roland Dejonghe, a veterinary from Westerlo in the quiet Kempen area, had the idea of rearing bumblebees to sell them as a commercial item. Initially the bumblebees were mainly used to pollinate crops: 200 bumblebees can carry out as much pollination as 10,000 bees and are therefore significantly more effective.
However, over time, it became clear that the bumblebees were also able to do a fine job in the biological control of all kinds of diseases and plagues. This is precisely where new opportunities have arisen over recent years, as the increasingly challenging standards in food safety, public health, the environment and sustainability mean that chemicals may no longer be used on a large scale these days.
Biobest were successful in seizing this opportunity and have developed into an international company. The head office in Westerlo now employs 165 staff; in addition there are no less than 750 employees spread across 14 subsidiaries across nearly all the different continents. In the meantime Belgian bumblebees have already flown off to no less than 60 countries, including Argentina, Canada, Morocco, Israel and China.