Honey bees and wild pollinators - westoxfordallotments.org · Honey bees and wild pollinators Pearl...
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• Keep a clean apiary; bees are susceptible to disease, which can be spread by leaving dirty equipment around. • Provide water at a suitable place from the outset, to discourage bees from using watering points. • Beekeepers should practice swarm control techniques to reduce the frequency of swarms. Swarming is a natural process but may well concern other plot-holders, make sure that contact details are always available for the beekeeper or a stand in. • If you are working outside amongst flowering plants there is always going to be a risk of insect stings, whether or not there are bees on site, so make sure you have proprietary medication in your first aid kit – bee stings should be removed quickly with a finger nail to minimise the dose of venom. Extreme reactions and stings in the mouth or throat should be treated as an emergency. Education Having bees on site is a great opportunity to educate fellow plot-holders, their children and the local community about food growing and the natural world. It can also help to stimulate community interest and engagement with wider environment concerns. Selling honey Allotment legislation defines an allotment as a place which is “is wholly or mainly cultivated by the occupier for the production of vegetable or fruit crops for consumption by himself or his family” and their use for trade or business is prohibited. It is permissible for plot-holders to sell genuine surplus produce, which may include surplus honey; allotment authorities are more likely to be comfortable with this activity if the produce is donated to the allotment association and the money raised used for site development. Useful contacts British Beekeepers Association www.bbka.org.uk Tel: 0871 811 2282 or 0871 811 2337 Beebase www.nationalbeeunit.com www.buglife.org.uk/ www.bumblebeeconservation.org/ Wildlife Gardening Forum www.wlgf.org/ www.gov.uk/government/news/bees-needs-public- urged-to-support-pollinators This publication contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. O’Dell House, Hunters Road, Corby, Northamptonshire NN17 5JE T: 01536 266576 • E: [email protected] • www.nsalg.org.uk www.nsalg.org.uk Become a member of The National Allotment Society Membership of The National Allotment Society comes with a raft of benefits, from discounts on horticultural products through to initial legal advice and horticultural expertise. To become a member visit www.nsalg.org.uk or call 01536 266576. © NSALG 2012 Honey bees and wild pollinators Pearl Bordered Fritillary butterfly Allotment holders can help to protect honey bees and other wild pollinators such as hoverflies, solitary bees and butterflies by managing their plot or site so that is pollinator friendly and even more productive.
Transcript of Honey bees and wild pollinators - westoxfordallotments.org · Honey bees and wild pollinators Pearl...
•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: [email protected] • 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
