Without our busy pollinators, we'd be rather stuck – bees pollinate
one third of the food in the UK, so we need to look after them.
A new study that's been in the works for the last 18 years by the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology gives more proof that (science goggles at the ready) neonicotinoid pesticides (gunk used in conventional farming) are harming our bees. The fuzzy little things pollinate one third of the food here in the UK, so without these busy pollinators, favourite chomps like apples and broccoli would become more and more scarce. Imagine that.
We can do our part though by ensuring the bees have somewhere to live.
Meet our new buzzing buddies
Here at Veg HQ, we've recently adopted several bee hives (60,000 bees in total) from the fantastic folks at Plan Bee and our buzzing friends are now busy busy pollinating gardens, wild plants and exploring their surroundings (and making a little honey for us to enjoy at Veg HQ along the way).
We've recently welcomed the arrival of a new queen – while colonies are capable of creating and selecting their own queens, they're just as happy to have one flown in for the job. Game of Thrones fans will know that crowning new royalty can be a tricky business, and their egg laying function is vital for the health of the hive, so our man from Plan Bee oversaw the introduction of our new queen to her subjects and ensured the transition was a smooth as possible. Long live the queen!
“Bees pollinate one third of the food in the UK, so we need to look after them.”
So let's think bees. You don't have to become a beekeeper or adopt a bee hive (although if you fancy it, Plan Bee, a hive management service, will help you out). Bumble bees and wild honey bees are jolly important too – they forage at lower temperatures and higher wind speed so will pollinate when cultivated bees are snuggled up in their hives. You can do one very simple thing: fill your garden with as many flowers, shrubs and trees as you can. Bees love a varied diet. With our help bees can keep being the brilliant, busy things we need them to be.
Good to know
Fancy setting up a hive for you, your community or where you work?
Let Plan Bee help, they're at planbeeltd.com
