The award-winning King’s Cross (KX) Bee Trail App 2018 will be available during the school summer holidays (July 9 – September 10) appealing to adults and children interested in bees and urban forage.

The tech-enabled 60 minute bee tour of King's Cross unlocks content at 7 locations about bees and how to help them, and allows you to ID and count bees as you walk.

Each of the seven locations along the 2018 KX Bee Trail are marked with a Honey Club sign. A 4-digit code on each sign, tapped into the App, unlocks a bee-related activity such as counting bees or learning about the forage that bees need to survive. Once the activity is completed, the App unlocks vouchers to some of the hip restaurants and cafes* in this emerging location behind King’s Cross Station.

 

The KX Bee Trail App is brought to you by The Honey Club, a partnership between King’s Cross-based youth charity Global Generation and Urban Bees. It was awarded a Bees’ Needs Champion Award in 2017 by the government Defra Minister Lord Gardiner who said it was “an inspirational example of action to protect our pollinators”.

 

Alison Benjamin, co-founder of Urban Bees says: “We’re encouraging locals and visitors to help us count even more bees this summer. With the decline of 97% of wildflower meadows in the countryside, urban projects like the KX Bee Trail play a vital role in teaching people in a fun way how to help bees in towns and cities.”

 

“Walking and reconnecting with nature in an urban environment also has immense health benefits for our wellbeing,” she adds.

Nicole Van den Eijnde, director of Global Generation, says : “The App is a great way to engage young people in learning about nature on their doorstep and how central it is to all their lives. The food they help to grow in the Skip Garden and cook with in the cafe all depends on the bees.”

 

Julie Fisher, founder and director of Ruby Violet, whose voucher for a scoop of ice cream is unlocked on the App after a bee count, says: “I’m thrilled the KX Bee Trail App is back. Come and count our pollen-laden busy buzzing bees, efficiently organising themselves amongst the planting. No bees, no app, no honey ice cream, we need bees for so many of our flavours, Blackberry & Creme de Mure, Raspberry ripple, Blackcurrant sorbet.”

 

Steven Kellett, sustainability manager for property developer Argent adds; “We’re pleased that the community-created App has introduced visitors to some of the biodiversity of the King’s Cross development. A commitment to environmental sustainability is a cornerstone of the transformation of this former industrial wasteland, with 26 acres of new parks and open spaces planted with 380 trees and over 400 plant species.  More than 40% of total new roof space is biodiverse (over 11,000m2).”

 

Last year, more than 500 bees were spotted, 77% were honey bees, 19% were buff-tailed bumble bees and 4% were red-tailed bumble bees. More than half of all the bees counted (55%) were at Handyside Gardens South (the 4^th location on the trail) where there were most flowers. A further 28% of bees were seen at the Skip Garden, a community garden project delivered by Global Generation, where fruits, vegetables and herbs are pollinated by bees.

 

The results of the KX Beetrail bee count are shared with Greenspace Information for Greater London (GiGl) which collects data on the city’s wildlife to enable planners to make informed decisions. Since 2015 around three quarters of the bees counted via the KXBee Trail App have been honeybees, and around one in five buff-tailed bumblebees. The location of a number of hives around King’s Cross explains the frequent sightings of honeybees.

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