The Bee’s Knees

Posted by Barbara on April 24, 2023 in Blog, climate change, Environment, Gardening, Leisure activities, Seasonal | 2 comments

I have just taken a break in between the multiple April showers to plant some wildflower seeds.  Nothing special in that I grant you, except that I ordered them from Friends of the Earth as part of a ‘Bee Saver Kit’ that the charity was promoting earlier in the year.

They make the point that changes in climate may be disrupting bees’ nesting behaviour; some plants are now flowering at different times to when bees are normally active.  They are now emerging after winter and any effort along these lines will help ensure bees have food from trees and plants all year round.

Bees are important indicators of a healthy environment, so planting more trees, hedges and wildflowers can only help.  The seeds in my little pack included among others: yarrow, ox-eye daisy, cowslip, sorrel, white and red campion, lesser knapweed and selfheal, all of which, should they germinate and grow, will attract a variety of species of bee to the garden.

I don’t know about you, but before I received my kit my understanding was that there were honey bees and bumble bees. I am clearly no naturalist; together with my seed pack, planting instructions and garden planner I received a wall chart with photos and names of 25 different species of bee, some of which may choose to grace my garden if I get lucky.

Now some facts: bees are part of the biodiversity on which we all depend for our survival.  According to bee experts at the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, a third of the world’s food production depends on bees.  Bee populations have been declining globally over recent decades due to habitat loss, intensive farming practices, changes in weather patterns and the excessive use of agrochemicals such as pesticides. This in turn poses a threat to a variety of plants critical to human well-being and livelihoods.

Air pollution is also thought to be affecting bees. Despite this, there have been many instances of hives thriving on the roofs of high-rise buildings in cities and producing good quality honey.  This of course is not a reason to be complacent.

Another unexpected component of my Bee Saver Kit were the instructions on the back of one of the little booklets on how to build your own bee hotel. It is reminiscent of many Blue Peter influenced constructions, but fortunately not requiring sticky back plastic, which is a good thing as I’m still waiting for someone to explain actually what that is. You will need:

• A used 2 litre plastic bottle
• Sandpaper
• Craft knife and cutting  mat
• Strong twine
• Garden clippers or secateurs
• Modelling clay
• Bamboo canes, hollow reeds or grass

If this inspires you, then full instructions are available at: foe.uk/bee-hotel-guide. Or you could order your own Bee Saver Kit. If you don’t have a garden, a window box will do very well.

And did you know that in order to encourage governments, organizations, civil society and concerned citizens to protect pollinators and their habitats, the UN has declared 20 May World Bee Day? As that is only five weeks away, I doubt very much that my newly planted seeds will be even fledgling plants by then, so the local bee population is unlikely to pay the garden much attention, but it is a step in the right direction.