Highland Radio - Weekly Tip 6 - Bees for bio-diversity

This week Highland Radio looked at the importance of Bees for Bio-Diversity

Did you know…

For Ireland, there is only one native honey bee, a sub-species called Apis mellifera mellifera or the Northern dark bee.
For a strawberry flower to turn into a strawberry is has to be visited 5 times by a bee
Only female bees can sting!
Queen bumblebees have to visit 6,000 flowers every day to get enough energy to brood their eggs

Why are Bee’s so important?

Bees play a crucial role in pollination, they do 80% of the world pollination.
If bees disappeared over night, humans would only last 4 years.
They provide high-quality food—honey, royal jelly and pollen — and other products such as beeswax, propolis and honey bee venom.
A third of the world’s food production depends on bees.

What can I do to help stop the decline in the bee population?

Refrain from mowing your lawn for the month of May. This allows native wildflowers and other plants to grow and provide a vital food source for the bees.
Plant pollinator friendly trees, such as Willow, Hawthorn, Rowan, as they are a vital source of food for pollinators.
Avoid using insecticides, fungicides and herbicides – designed to kill various insects!
Bees like to nest in various places such as hedgerows, wild areas, dry stone walls, and even in the ground. Try creating a nesting habitat for them.

Here’s a few websites if you want to know more !

Highland Radio – Weekly Tip 6 – Bees for bio-diversity