Wellness, Community Gardens & Engagement
5 Quick Tips
1. Know your bees! Until you understand a little bit of the issues around bee species, you can't completely help them, so knowledge is definitely a good thing here.
2. Create nesting and over wintering places.
3. Feed your bees - Thoughtful planting is key!
4. Go organic in your garden. Bees are 'insects' so it goes without saying that insecticides can harm them.
5. Pass it on - Spread the love of gardening for bees to encourage others to do the same!
A Deeper Dive into the 5 Tips
1. Many people think that honey bees need help, when in fact their wild cousins are desperately needing some love and protection, as they make up the majority of the all important diversity picture! Wild bees are the true army of pollinators and all too often over looked, much to the dismay of scientists and ecologists. Knowing the difference between domestic honey bees and wild bee species, is absolutely key to how we approach the looking after of bees in general!
Attending talks from specialists in wild bee species is fundamental to put you on the right track before you start to embark on your bee friendly journey. I often hold talks for beginners to get you going, so do look out for those, coming on line soon!
2. Wild and vulnerable bee species are so 'at the mercy' of how we manage our green spaces and there are some really simple ways to ensure they can make it over winter and equally; to give them plenty of opportunity to nest. Each of the wild species requires a different place to nest, so again; some homework and knowledge is a great place to start! Fear not though, it is all easy to learn stuff, you just need to know where to start!
3. This is the bit most people pay attention to, it IS extremely important (although not the only part of the protection jigsaw) but as birds are all different and eat different things, so do bees! Careful and thoughtful planting is key, so do attend one of my fun workshops, coming online soon!
4. No explanations needed here, it is self explanatory! It is better to treat your garden as one big nature reserve, protecting and respecting everything in it, if you want the insect life to thrive.
5. Pass it on! In my many years of work in this field, I have held the 'pass it on' flag very high and have seen it work wonders. To date my work has inspired dozens of other projects around the country; this is the power of 'pass it on' and enthusiastic sharing of your activities.
Contact
Email: beckybeesknees@gmail.com
Rebecca Twigg
Wildlife trails and workshops
Community garden planning