Welcome to my Bee Trail general info page, if you cannot find what you are looking for here, use the drop down menu above, for more.
Bee Trail on Facebook Instagram @beetrailsalisbury
VIRTUAL BEE TRAIL APP- can be found here for Android phones and here for Apple (from Sat 7th August)
APP TIP - To see the virtual bee image fully, stand slightly back as you scan the sign with your phone. A bee, some info and a 'badge' to collect, should become visible to you. Move your phone around until you get it right!
MAPS- Can be picked up at Five Rivers Health and Well-being Centre. Maps are kindly sponsored by Camilla Hiley Garden and Landscape Design and Ikando graphic design.
LOCATIONS - can be found here. ACCESS - Yes most of the Bee Trail locations are accessible, a couple will be easier in dry weather. Where possible the signs have been placed low.
ABOUT - There are 14 graphically illustrated signs around Salisbury city, each features a bee and the aim is to find them all. Each of the illustrated bee signs has a little bit of bee knowledge on it for you to learn and if you like you can also download my free App to add some interest/knowledge and to see the featured bee come to life in amazing AR technology! While you can just use the paper map to guide you to each illustrated bee sign, the App will also tell you a little more and give you some easy learn quizes to help you keep that bee knowledge in your memory. The AR technology bees are really fun to see (Augmented reality or AR for short, is like a 'virtual' moving bee) so go to the links above to find and download those.
THE OBJECTIVE - Think of the Bee Trail and the resources on this website as your 'Bee Basics 101' or a 'walking workshop' might describe it better!
In my work doing workshops, gardens and talks about wildlife, the thing that crops up the most is that people often do not know the fundamentals of looking after bees and it is actually really simple. Once we have a good foundation of knowledge and understand that many species exist in the UK and Ireland, we are off to a flying start! No need to buy honey bees or hives, the most powerful thing you can do is right at home in your own space, for free! My 'top tips for bees' page explains more of those fundamentals and 'bee basics'.
TIME LIMIT - The trail is dispersed around the corners of the city and is meant to be done slowly, over time, there is no time limit. I hope you will also take the opportunity to look around at each of the sign locations, taking in the sights of the city. The trail is as much about enjoying the outdoors and slowing down enough to see it, as it is bees, so why not plan to 'collect' one Bee Trail point a week and make a day of it. Why not take a pic-nic, take the bikes, have fun outside in nature as you are enjoying this 'walking workshop' trail around our beautiful Cathedral city.
HELP - Find further info on locations HERE
BEE INFO - Additional bee info for each of the species in the trail, is linked below.
Go to this page for in depth but more general bee top tips.
This page lists my very favourite plants for bees and other pollinators.
TRAIL POINTS 13 AND 14 - were both created in collaboration with other projects, find out more about our Castle Hill Country Park partnership (trail point 14) and the St Andrews School project (trail point 13) here.
ART WORK - The wonderful bee images were commissioned out to local graphic artist Geri Ford of 'Bluntwood'. If you see any damage to the Bee Trail signs, please get in touch.
GET A BEE TRAIL FOR YOURSELF - To ask about having your very own Bee Trail as a visitor attraction, get in touch!
TALKS - Ask me to do a related talk by going to my contact page.
Want much more bee knowledge? - Click the individual bee names to find out loads more in these fabulous websites.
1. Andrena fulva
6. Some bee science (Identifying pollinators)
12. Colletes hederae
13. Bombus pascuorum
14. Six spot burnet moth (a pollinator wild card, in the trail!)
