Honey bees and wild pollinators - Reepham Town Council · 2018-07-16 · Honey bees and wild...
Transcript of Honey bees and wild pollinators - Reepham Town Council · 2018-07-16 · Honey bees and wild...
•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