World Bee Day – 20 May 2024
Today is World Bee Day – a day to raise awareness of the importance of bees and other pollinators, and the threats they face.
Sadly, bees are under threat, the present species extinction rates are higher than normal over recent years due to several reasons, including habitat loss, intensive farming practices, changes in the climate and the use of pesticides.
Nearly 35 percent of invertebrate (no backbone) pollinators, such as bees and butterflies, and about 17 percent of vertebrate pollinators, such as bats, face extinction around the world.
Arun District Council are increasing the number of wildflower meadows across the district providing pollinators with more habitat to live in. To find out more about what we are doing to support biodiversity, go to: Biodiversity | Arun District Council
By taking some small actions you can also help bees and other pollinators.
If you’ve been taking part in No Mow May you’ve already been helping our pollinators. Other actions you can take include planting a varied range of plants in outside spaces that flower at different times in the year, avoid using pesticides in your garden and leave a water bowl outside. You can also sponsor a beehive - there are places in our district that you can do this – you can check them out by searching the internet ‘sponsor a beehive in West Sussex.’
Building a bug or bee hotel provides shelter and can function as nesting sites for a range of insects and is a great activity if you have children and will help them engage with nature. Some examples of what you can create can be found in the links below.
How to Build a Bug Hotel - Woodland Trust
How to make a bee hotel | The Wildlife Trusts
If you don’t want to build your own, you can purchase ready-made bug hotels, or buy a ‘bee brick’ (a brick that has a dual function of being a construction item and a nesting site for a solitary bee).
Did you know that one million flowers and 50,000 bee flights are required to make 1kg of honey!
For some more interesting ‘bee facts’ check out this link:
Learn these top 10 facts about bees | WWF