•Keep a clean apiary; bees are susceptible todisease, which can be spread by leaving dirtyequipmentaround.

•Providewateratasuitableplacefromtheoutset,todiscouragebeesfromusingwateringpoints.

•Beekeepers should practice swarm controltechniques to reduce the frequency of swarms.Swarmingisanaturalprocessbutmaywellconcernotherplot-holders,makesurethatcontactdetailsarealwaysavailableforthebeekeeperorastandin.

•If you are working outside amongst floweringplants there isalwaysgoingtobeariskof insectstings,whetherornot therearebeesonsite, somake sure you have proprietary medication inyourfirstaidkit–beestingsshouldberemovedquicklywithafingernail tominimisethedoseofvenom.Extremereactionsandstingsinthemouthorthroatshouldbetreatedasanemergency.

Education

Having bees on site is a great opportunity toeducate fellowplot-holders, their childrenand thelocalcommunityaboutfoodgrowingandthenaturalworld. It can also help to stimulate communityinterest and engagement with wider environmentconcerns.

Selling honey

Allotment legislation defines an allotment as aplacewhichis“iswhollyormainlycultivatedbytheoccupier for the production of vegetable or fruitcropsforconsumptionbyhimselforhisfamily”andtheir use for trade or business is prohibited. It ispermissible forplot-holders tosellgenuinesurplusproduce,whichmayincludesurplushoney;allotmentauthorities are more likely to be comfortablewith this activity if the produce is donated to theallotmentassociationandthemoneyraisedusedforsitedevelopment.

Useful contacts

British Beekeepers Association www.bbka.org.uk Tel:08718112282or08718112337

Beebasewww.nationalbeeunit.com

www.buglife.org.uk/

www.bumblebeeconservation.org/

Wildlife Gardening Forumwww.wlgf.org/

www.gov.uk/government/news/bees-needs-public-urged-to-support-pollinators

Thispublication containspublic sector informationlicensedundertheOpenGovernmentLicencev3.0.

O’Dell House, Hunters Road, Corby, Northamptonshire NN17 5JE T: 01536 266576 • E: natsoc@nsalg.org.uk • www.nsalg.org.uk

www.nsalg.org.uk

Become a member of The National Allotment Society

MembershipofTheNationalAllotmentSocietycomeswitharaftofbenefits,fromdiscountsonhorticulturalproductsthroughtoinitiallegaladviceandhorticulturalexpertise.Tobecomeamembervisitwww.nsalg.org.uk orcall01536 266576.

© NSALG 2012

Honey bees and wild pollinators

Pearl Bordered Fritillary butterfly

Allotment holders can help to protect honey bees and otherwildpollinatorssuchashoverflies,solitarybeesandbutterfliesbymanaging theirplotor site so that ispollinator friendly andevenmoreproductive.

Pollinators under threat

Many of our food crops such as apples, pears,strawberries,raspberries,tomatoesandfieldbeans,aswellasmanywildflowersneedvisitsby insectsto transfer the pollen between plants, leading tofertilisationandtheproductionofseedsandfruits.Thedependenceonpollinatorsvariesfromcroptocrop; fromanallotmentperspective, runnerbeanshavean85%dependenceonpollinators,cucumbers65%and top fruit–apples,pearsandplumshavebetween65%and85%dependence.

Sadly, along with other pollinators of crops andwildplantssuchasbumblebees,moths,butterflies,hoverfliesandlacewings,honeybeesarethreatenedby the spread of pests and diseases, land-useintensification (including habitat destruction andpesticideuse)andclimatechange. It is feared thattwothirdsofpollinatorsareinmarkeddeclineandthat25%arethreatenedwithextinction.

What you can do

Byfollowingthefivestepsbelow,weasallotmentholderscanplayourpart incurrentefforts tohaltthisdeclineandmaintainahealthyeco-system.

•Grow more early and late flowering, nectar-and pollen-rich flowers amongst your allotmentproduce

•Large allotment sites could leave small, hard tocultivatepatchesoflandtogrowwildtoprovidebreedingareasforbeneficialinsects

•Cut grass on plots and in communal areas lessoftenorleavesomeofthegrasslong

•Avoid disturbing or destroying nesting orhibernatinginsects-postponeyourplottidyuptillspring

•Thinkcarefullyaboutwhethertousepesticidesasthesealsokillbeneficialinsects

Allotment honey-bee-keeping

NAS supports the keeping of bees on allotmentsites,howeverallotmenttenantsdoneedtochecktheir Tenancy Agreements and speak to theirLandlordpriortositinghivesonanallotmentplot.

The1908SmallHoldingsandAllotmentsAct,Section61doesonthefaceofitprovideaninterpretationofcultivationwhichincludeshorticulture,thekeepingofbeesandthegrowthoffruitandvegetables.Furtherinformationisavailablebelowinthepracticalactionsandconsiderations.

FollowingthearrivaloftheVarroamiteinthe1990snumbers of UK honey bee colony fell significantlybut awareness campaigns over the last few yearshave resulted in a resurgence in the popularity ofbeekeeping and there are some very successfulprojectsonallotmentsites;contacttheNASofficefordetails.

Ithasbeenestimatedthathoneybeespollinateabout34%ofcropsintheUKandhavingbeehivesnearoron your sitewill result in higher yields and betterqualityproduce.Herearesometipsforprospectivebeekeepers and landowners who are consideringbeehivesontheirsite.

•The NAS recommends that associations andlandlords who allow allotment beekeeping haveaBeekeepingPolicyandagreement inplace; theSocietycanofferassistancewiththis.Somesiteswillbeunsuitableforthekeepingofhoneybees.

•Ifyouareembarkingonanallotmentbeekeepingprojectorwishtokeephivesonyourplotmakesurethatyouspendtimeconsultingeveryoneonyoursiteandnearbyhouseholds,bepreparedtoaccommodatetheneedsofthosewithallergiesorotherconcerns.

Otherstepsthatplot-holderscantakeontheirplotsinclude creating nesting boxes for solitary bees,lacewingsorladybirdsandprovidingsomewhereforthemtodrink;ashallowbowlfilledwithpebblesisideal.Buildinganinsecthousewithyourchildrenisagreatwayofgettingtheminvolvedandinterestedinthenaturalworld.Thinkaboutdevelopingforageusefultobeesandotherpollinatorstoincreasethebiodiversityandenvironmentalvalueof thesiteasawhole.

Someallotmentfavouritesthatwill feedpollinatinginsects

Spring – wallflower, spotted dead nettle, nativeprimroses,black/red/whitecurrants

Summer – hollyhocks, chives, borage, marigolds,opencentreddahlias,

Autumn – Showy sunflower, nasturtium, singleflowereddahlias

Winter – if youhave spaceonyourplotor sitemost of the winter flowering shrubs will attractpollinatorsalongwithbulbssuchaswinteraconitesandcrocusundersoftfruitbushes

National pollinator strategies

In November 2014 the Department forEnvironment, Food and Rural Affairs produced a“National pollinator strategy: for bees and otherpollinatorsinEngland”,whichsetsouta10yearplanto help pollinating insects survive and thrive. Thedocument can be downloaded from www.gov.uk/government/publications/

The government in Wales has also developed anActionPlanforPollinatorsthatcanbedownloadedfromthiswebsitewww.biodiversitywales.org.uk/en-GB/Wales-Action-Plan-for-Pollinators

•Involve others – the more people on site areinvolved in the beekeeping project, the moresustainable it will be. The cultivation practices ofyourfellowplot-holderscouldaffectyourbeesastheyareverysusceptibletoinsecticidesprays.

•Beekeepingisaresponsibilityinapublicplace,linkwith your local British Bee Keepers Associationwhowilloffertrainingandongoingsupport;BBKAmembership offers insurance for beekeepingactivities.WewouldalsoencouragebeekeeperstoregistertheirhiveswiththegovernmentNationalBeeUnit;which gives free access to advice andsupport.

Practical considerations

•Although beehives can be kept successfully onanindividual’splotwewouldrecommendsettingup an apiary in an agreed place. Hives are bestsituatedawayfromotherplotholders,pathsandpublicroads.

•Surround the apiary with two meter bee-prooffencingsobeesflyupandaway–overpeople’sheads. Try to keep long implements away fromthehiveareaastheycanbeusedbyvandalstotipoverhives.

•Only handle bees when the area around theapiaryisquietbutdonotmanipulatebeeswhenyouaretheonlypersononsite.

www.nsalg.org.uk

It has been estimated that honeybees pollinate about 34% of crops in the UK

Photographycredits:Ladybirdandbumblebeeswww.karenparkerphotography.co.uk

Hoverfly

Ladybird

Honeybee

Bumble bees