Photo – Bee installation at the Eden Project
The humble bee has been a star for centuries, but the outlook for bees right now is quite bleak. Without bees we’re in trouble and bees are facing numerous threats. Since 1900 the UK has lost 20 species of bee, and a further 35 are under threat of extinction. These are facts from Friends of the Earth.
Anyway, enough of the scary stuff, the good news is that everyone can make a huge difference wherever they live by doing a few simple things. More of that later.
We wanted to help the bees and improve the environment for them, and have some fun while we were at it. We successfully applied for a pack to make a Friends of the Earth Bee World here at Coombe Farm Cottages.
Now the ground is warm again, it is a good time to sew the seeds that will grow up to make our Bee World. We gave careful consideration as to where would be the right location on the farm, as we don’t want our clients being stung(!). Though there is very little risk of this it’s always best to be on the safe side. We were given seeds for a ten metres square area. We settled on a peaceful tucked away spot down by the stream and the orchard, by the pigs.
Farmer Jez and I had a few maths mix-ups, nearly resulting in us removing the grass from a hundred metres squared area of the farm, but after measuring it out we luckily came to our senses just in time. Phew.
Some heavy digging work then began as the top layer of grass and weeds was removed. We (well, when I say we, Jez!) used a rotavator next on the area to make sure the soil was better suited to help our lovely seeds grow into fabulous healthy plants.
Next for the more fun part, trying to evenly sew the seeds across the site, we’ll see how we did with that soon hopefully when the seeds germinate. Then a quick firm up of the soil over the freshly planted seeds and we’d finished. Time to sit back and wait now… fingers crossed everything starts to grow, watch this space! We just can’t wait.
If you want to help the bees where you live here are a few ideas. Plant flowers rich in nectar (see link for more details), support local honey producers or create a Bee & Bee where bees can sleep and eat!
Fun Fact: Did you know the word Dumbledore (made famous by the Harry Potter stories) is the Cornish word for bumblebee?
#BeTheChange #TheBeeCause #BeeInMyBonnet #SaveTheBees
Thanks again to Friends of the Earth for your kit, and all the information, all credit to them.