Bees Needs Week

Bees Needs Week:    12th - 18th July 2021

The BBKA will be sharing our favourite beekeeping moments on our social media: sharing our members photos of their beekeeping and our most popular stories from the last 12 months. Follow us on social media.

• Grow more flowers, shrubs and trees
• Let your garden grow wild
• Cut your grass less often
• Don’t disturb insect nest and hibernation spots
• Think carefully about whether to use pesticides

Our patron, Jimmy Doherty, sent this message in support of Bees Needs Week:

ARMY HAS A NEW HIVE OF ACTIVITY

Did you know that the British Army is providing much-needed homes for several species of bees, some of which are Britain's most endangered native species?

This week as part of Bees Needs Week, an annual event coordinated by the Department of Environment Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), we highlight some of the work being done across the Defence estate by Army and civilian personnel to create bee-friendly environments to help ensure the pollinators are protected for the future.

Click here for the full article

Let's celebrate honeybees and all the other pollinators during Bees Needs Week.

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What is Bees Needs Week?

Bees Needs Week is an annual event coordinated by Defra, working alongside charities, businesses, conservation groups and academic institutions to raise awareness of bees and other pollinators, This year due to Covid19 it will again be an online event by sharing stories and videos through social media. So there won’t be a pop-up shop in Carnaby this year given the restrictions.

• Raising awareness of bees and other pollinators
• Bees’ and other pollinators are vital for growing lots of our favourite foods and for plants to flourish in our fields and gardens

 

• Gardening for bees page https://www.bbka.org.uk/gardening-for-bees

• A variety of leaflets https://www.bbka.org.uk/bbka-leaflets including

• Ten favourite flowers for small gardens To attract Honey Bees
  

What Bee is this?

The BBKA have just launched our new page https://www.bbka.org.uk/what-bee-is-this to help with the hundreds of enquiries we receive from the public every year.  We get many calls and questions from people with bees in their buildings, outbuildings and bird boxes.  Very often these turn out to be bumblebees or solitary bees.  This page helps the public to idenitfy what type of bees they have.

Schools! 

Project Bees in Schools https://www.bbka.org.uk/project-bees-in-schools Planning Guideline documents for keeping bees at School

Managing your apiary, time commitment

Schools' beekeeping management plan

Model rules for the Apiary

Model risk assessment

Schools then have access to Bees in the Curriculum which has a range of educational materials for use in the classroom.

The Junior Beekeeping Certificate in 2019 was taken by 37 children, with 22 the previous year.

Schools projects include the Heron Hill and Ashbrow School. These schools share and support their social media.

Resources from other organisations

National Insect Week – Links to loads of learning resources

The Bee Cause- a pack for Educators (Friends of the Earth)

Plants for Pollinators- Teaching Resources Countryside Classroom

STEM Pollination Resources

BBC- Science KS1 / KS2: What is pollination and how does it work?

 

Wildlife gardening ideas:

• Buglife - fun gardening activities
• Wildlife Trusts - pollinator-friendly plants
• RHS - plants for pollinators
• Friends of the Earth - gardening for bees

 Kew

• School Resources
• KS2 Pollination
• Learning at Home

Grow Wild- Pollinator Resources

Campaign for School Gardening website -
https://schoolgardening.rhs.org.uk/Resources/Find-a-resource?so=0&pi=10&ps=10&f=2,8:&page=2
The pollinating insects spotter guide is quite nice -
https://schoolgardening.rhs.org.uk/Resources/Spotter-Guide/Pollinating-Insects-Spotter-Guide, together with the  easy annuals list here https://schoolgardening.rhs.org.uk/Resources/Info-Sheet/Plants-for-pollinators-guide-to-plants.
Or for info on flowers and pollinators see https://schoolgardening.rhs.org.uk/Resources/Info-Sheet/Plant-pollination-and-reproduction

Learning through landscapes

• NEW RESOURCE -this is a week of family activities that parents can do at home all about pollinators. https://www.ltl.org.uk/resources/week-14-home-learning-early-years-to-upper-primary-copy/
• Resources for schools

 Mission Invertebrate- Royal Parks

• digital resources about pollinators - some family activity sheets, and a set of resources about planting for pollinators made for National Gardening Week. https://www.royalparks.org.uk/get-involved/mission-invertebrate/resources/learn-online-mi

Buglife

• https://www.buglife.org.uk/get-involved/children-and-schools/b-lines-school-pack/
• Sustainable Learning – Pollinator Resources (Buglife)

Bumblebee Conservation Trust 

-Children's fun and learning activities

PREVIOUS YEARS

2020

Winners of the Bees Needs Week Awards for 2020 included Manchester & District Beekeepers Association - they have an excellent video about their work here

For more about the 2020 Winners

2019 

Bees’ Needs Week is a week long campaign from 8-14 July 2019 to help raise awareness of bees and other pollinators. 

During Bees’ Needs Week, London’s world-famous shopping destination is renamed ‘Carnabee Street’ and transformed into a hive of activity. 

The iconic Carnaby Street arch has been given a bee-themed makeover and a popup ‘Hive’ will open at 3 Newburgh Street from 8-14 July, with a host of educational and fun games, installations and talks.

This will include: 

More information is available at: https://www.bumblebeeconservation.org/bees-needs/and on twitter using #BeesNeeds

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