According to the local journal, Haarlems Dagblad, the five fields at the beautiful complex of Hoofddorp Pioniers are damaged. Even this bad, it is not possible to play.
The massive presence of the larvae of mosquitos has damaged the fields almost beyond repair. The larvae are eating the roots of the grass. As a result, the grass died and laid loose on the surface.
The municipality of Hoofddorp, that is owning the complex has started to fix the problem in an environmentally friendly way. Nematodes (a kind of small eal-ish insects) are used. These creatures are the natural enemy of these larvae.
The main baseball field has been dug out, leveled and new grass seed has been sown. It will take at least six weeks for the main field to recover. So, assuming that baseball can be played on June 11 again (as the restrictions due to the coronavirus have been extended until May 20, Hoofddorp Pioniers needs to look for another facility to play its home games in the first weeks of the upcoming season.
