Living Lab Flax and Pollinators in Zeeland

In the province of Zeeland, CLM Research and Advice is currently working with various regional partners to establish a Living Lab on the topic of Flax and Pollinators. The project required selecting a crop grown for materials. Flax was chosen: traditionally a common crop in Zeeland, it is now increasingly being incorporated into crop rotations as a resting crop. Due to its deep rooting—up to 1.20 meters deep—flax has a beneficial effect on soil structure and provides a respite between intensive crops of root crops like potatoes and sugar beets.

Flax: From Textiles to Building Materials

Flax is a versatile crop with countless uses. The scutching machine separates the long fibers from the woody parts of the stems, the shives. These long fibers are then hackled and spun into yarn for use in textiles (linen). The shives are processed into building materials or used as bedding. Hackling releases short fibers that play a role in the production of textiles and paper. Part of the flax seed is harvested for seed multiplication. Seed is also pressed into linseed oil, which is used for food, medicine, and paint. A byproduct of linseed pressing is boll chaff, which consists of the broken seed pods and is used in animal feed.

Flower visits by pollinators

Although flax flowers are essentially self-pollinating, they are visited by pollinators, according to several sources. Flax depends on pollinating insects for cross-pollination. Some studies show that flax pollinated by pollinators leads to better seed set, which is important for seed multiplication and the production of linseed oil.

To gain an initial impression of pollinator visits to flowers, CLM conducted a survey on June 19, 2025. Despite the flax having largely finished flowering, the survey still yielded good results: primarily a large number of bumblebees, but also various butterflies, hoverflies, and wild bees. The survey is a preparation for the ecological study that will be conducted on a larger number of flax plots in 2026. The timing of this study is uncertain, as flax blooms only briefly and the flowers easily disintegrate after pollinators visit the flowers.

This video was recorded during the count on June 19.

Flax: An Environmental Approach

Previous research by CLM showed that flax is a sustainable crop that can be grown with few inputs and minimal environmental losses.

In practice, this doesn’t yet seem feasible everywhere: flea beetles, small beetles also known as ground beetles, can cause crop damage. Some growers use insecticides to combat flea beetles. However, when using broad-spectrum insecticides like pyrethroids, pollinators (and other beneficial insects) are also at risk. Therefore, in the Living Lab, CLM aims to collaborate with flax growers, flax companies, and the flax processing industry to find alternatives. A first step is developing the CLM environmental benchmark for flax, which will allow for the selection of the least harmful agents for pollinators. In addition, parallel to the Butterfly project, a field trial is being set up to investigate whether controlling flea beetles by ground beetles may be feasible and effective.

Zeeland: a landscape approach

The landscape approach will focus on restoring the network of plants and pollinators. Whether it’s wild bees, hoverflies, butterflies, moths, or other pollinator species, they need plants for food and partly for their reproduction and safety. During their active period, they need sufficient plants and the right species, because a significant number of pollinators are choosy: they have a relationship with only one or a few plant species.

The pollinators that visit the flax flowers will depend on other crops and wild flora before and after that period. How do the pollinators use the landscape? At what points in their lifespan and in which locations are they unable to obtain sufficient food? The Living Lab is developing tools to answer these kinds of questions at the area level and to explore options to expand the range of flowering plants and wild flora.

Economic and social importance

CLM is having discussions with various regional stakeholders to encourage their participation in the Living Lab. The response has been positive. In the coming period, we especially hope to be able to include arable farmers. They play a crucial role in preserving and strengthening biodiversity. They also experience the consequences of the loss of species that are functional in crops and benefit from the restoration themselves. As managers of the agricultural landscape, agricultural entrepreneurs can make a significant contribution to both environmental and landscape management.

In a sub-study, agricultural entrepreneurs will be asked how they value pollinators. This might involve economic importance, that can be expressed in monetary terms, or social importance. Pollinators are essential for fruit growers, but what do arable farmers think of them? Other regional stakeholders will also wonder: how important do we consider pollinators? And: how important do we consider them to be in order to commit ourselves to pollinator habitat restoration?

Building on existing initiatives

Conversations with regional stakeholders in Zeeland have revealed that various approaches are already underway to restore biodiversity, such as nature-inclusive farming, the development of landscape elements, and the management of biodiverse dikes. An area-based approach is also already underway in parts of Zeeland. Bridges have already been built. In the Living Lab, we are eager to connect with existing initiatives in the hope that they can be built upon. By joining forces and connecting with existing initiatives, we ensure coherence and effectiveness across all biodiversity measures.

Kick-off meeting: Wednesday, October 29, 2025

The Living Lab will officially launch at the end of October with a meeting where we hope to welcome all interested parties from the area. During this meeting, we will discuss existing knowledge about pollinators in Zeeland and present the plan for activities in the coming years.

For more information about the Butterfly project and the Living Lab Flax and Pollinators Zeeland: