Bees Need Gardeners
Published May 17, 2009
BBKA Press Release 18th May 2009
Bees need gardeners to help them stay alive
Today, at the Chelsea Flower Show (Plot GPH 9), the British Beekeepers’ Association (BBKA) is asking all the nation’s gardeners to dig deep to help the UK’s honey bees.
Honey bees (Apis melifera) are essential to our way of life. They are the most effective pollinator of many fruits, vegetables and ornamental plants and trees.
To stay alive, bees need forage from February to October, beekeepers to look after them, space for hives and a vigilant public which will tell the experts when a swarm of bees needs collecting.
With the prospect of a glorious summer, now is the crucial time to help honey bees replace the huge number of colonies they have lost over the last two years. Swarms that have access to a continuous supply of pollen and nectar throughout the summer, form strong colonies by autumn and are more likely to be able to resist pest and disease and so survive winter.
The BBKA garden, designed by Philippa O’Brien, will be planted with 10 trees that can provide pollen and nectar throughout the bees’ active months starting with Acacia dealbata at the end of January to Tetradium daniellii which flowers in September and provides a very valuable alternative to ivy late in the year.
Other features in the garden will be an imitation swarm made of more than 100 knitted bees hanging in a lime tree, advice on how to save a real swarm, and two hives to show just how little space two colonies takes up.
Garden designer, Philippa O’Brien, said: “One of the best ways to help the honey bee is to plant a succession of flowering trees. Five or six large trees can provide as much forage for bees as an acre of wild flower meadow. They also provide a single source of nectar that bees find easy to harvest.
“Gardeners are tuned into the seasons: they know when there is likely to be a shortage of flowering plants locally, and this is the time to plant pollen rich annuals or hardy perennials.”
The BBKA is encouraging both town and country gardeners to make their spaces bee friendly.
Tim Lovett, President of the BBKA, said: “While there is still a big question mark over how and when the government is going to spend the £10 million it has announced for research into pollinator decline, it is gardeners who have the tools to implement the environmental support desperately needed to keep our honey bees secure.
“It doesn’t matter whether you are planting acres or an allotment, a garden or a window box, or are responsible for a landscaping roadsides or urban centres, creating a green environment with nectar and pollen rich flowers, trees and vegetables is best for bees, best for beekeepers and the best way to ensure that we can all have a healthy and varied diet, thanks to honey bee pollination.”
The BBKA has costed a five-year £8 million programme to secure the information to save our honey bees. Based on the Government’s own figures, during this period, honey bee pollination will contribute £1 billion to the economy.
The BBKA garden would not be created without the support of Barcham Trees and Capel Manor College. The imitation swarm of bees has been designed by Caroline Sullivan, a former magazine knitting editor.
Ends
For further information contact: Christine Gray BBKA Press Officer 07891 000207/01462450707 or christine.m.gray @ btinternet.com..
Notes to Editors
The BBKA is an educational charity formed in 1874 to support bees and beekeepers and educates the public of the importance of bees in the environment. Its membership of over 13,000 is at a 15 year high.
The BBKA’s bee friendly flowering trees are:
- February Acacia dealbata
- March Alnus cordata
- April Amelanchier lamarckii
- May Sorbus x arnoldiana
- June Sorbus aria .Tilia tomentosa
- July Castanea sativa
- August Koelreuteria paniculata
- September Tetradium daniellii
Flowering times may vary according to region. Leaflets on bee friendly shrubs and trees, a plan of the garden can be downloaded from Info Leaflets. View details of your nearest Beekeepers’ Association.
Bee Facts and Figures
- In the UK there are approximately 44,000 beekeepers managing around 274,000 hives.
- They produce 6000 tones of honey per year.
- Pollination contributes £200 million annually to the economy making each hive’s contribution about £700.
- In the UK, we produce only 20% of the honey we consume - the rest is imported.
- To collect a pound of honey a bee might have to fly a distance equivalent to twice round the world. This is likely to involve more than 10,000 flower visits on perhaps 500 foraging trips.
- A queen bee can lay up to 2,000 eggs a day.
- In the summer, there are about 50,000 bees in a colony, this reduces to about 20,000 over winter.
- The varroa mite reached the UK in 1992 and now infests 95% of hives. Untreated colonies die in 3-4 years. Even low populations of mites reduce vitality and increases the spread of viruses.
Download Ten Things To Do To Help Honey Bees [35KB PDF]