In the Netherlands, more than half of the 358 species of wild bees are threatened with extinction. This is a direct result of intensive large-scale agriculture and urbanization. The limited availability of pollen and nectar causes food competition between all types of pollinating insects. The wild bee can hardly compete with the commercially kept honey bee. 

Wild bees play a big role in agriculture by being the most important pollinators of the Dutch flora. Too little pollination results in less and underdeveloped crop and fruit yield, causing vegetation decline and possible food shortages for wildlife species. 

Aside from their common preference for flowers, each bee species has its own habits. Some species live socially in colonies while most species (more than 90%) live solitary. A lot of bee species are picky and only collect pollen from particular flower species. They also build their nests in numerous ways and in a variety of places. 

HABEETAT is a masterplan strategy that introduces a communal way of small-scale agriculture in combination with housing to increase biodiversity of the wild bee. By providing different habitats and a diverse menu for the wild bee as well as for 150 households, HABEETAT is a place where bees and humans live together.