The Lydart Ridge road in Monmouthshire had Tansy, Knapweed, Agrimony, flowering Field Scabious etc growing. All friendly for pollinators. Then it was mowed early!
Before mowing.
After mowing!
Unnecessary verge mowing
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Monthly Archives: August 2015
Neonicotinoids and Bee Colony Loss Study
A major study by the Government research agency FERA http://fera.co.uk/ finds a correlation between use of neonicotinoid pesticides and bee colony losses. They combined large-scale pesticide usage and yield observations from oilseed rape with those detailing honey bee colony losses over an 11 year period, and reveal a correlation between honey bee colony losses and national-scale imidacloprid (a neonicotinoid) usage patterns across England and Wales.
http://www.nature.com/articles/srep12574
http://www.fginsight.com/news/major-study-finds-correlation-between-neonicotinoids-and-bee-colony-losses-5645
Winnie-the-Pooh’s bee-friendly guide!
Step inside this ‘bee-friendly’ guide inspired by Winnie-the-Pooh and all
his friends. Created by the British Beekeepers Association in partnership
with Egmont Publishing, this guide sees the loveable bear embark on a
new adventure, which starts at the bottom of his honey pot.
Read on to see how Winnie-the-Pooh, with the help of Christopher Robin and his friends,
sets out to bring the honey bees back to the Hundred Acre Wood…
During their journey, you can learn about the simple steps you and your family can take to help keep the bees buzzing. Whether it’s planting a window box full of flowers or herbs, starting your own vegetable patch or volunteering with your local beekeepers association, there are plenty of ways to get outdoors and involved in supporting the humble British honey bee.
www.friendsofthehoneybee.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/E2463_BeeBooklet_Web.pdf
Big increase in birds and insects on an arable farm.
Farmers Weekly 14 Aug 2015 reports a “three fold rise” in bird numbers over four years on an arable farm in Northamptonshire helped by planting wildflower mix in six-metre margins around all the arable fields. As well as an increase in bird numbers, creating a rich pollen and nectar will have produced a large increase in insects.
The Higher Level Stewardship agri-environment scheme paid the cost of planting. Seven percent of his land has been taken out of production together with pond creation, wildflower meadows and coppicing woodland and tall hedges. Poorer land has been used so yields of wheat and oil seed rape have not been affected.
www.fwi.co.uk/arable/birds-boosted-by-wildflowers-in-the-crop-margin.htm
Bee Movie Night 17th Sept 2015
“Queen of the Sun”. What are bees telling us?
Thurs 17th Sept 2015 Beaufort Hotel, Chepstow 7pm 9:30pm (Doors open 6:30pm) FREE entry (donations welcome)
This spellbinding film takes us on a journey through the catastrophic disappearance of honeybees and the mysterious world of the beehive, exploring the longterm causes that have led to one of our most urgent global food crises.
● Free tea and biscuits
● Q & A after film
● The opportunity to take a Bee Friendly pledge with BFM
More information from Cyrene Powell on 077380 93696
BFM at Chepstow Show 2015
A very big Thank You to everyone who visited our Bee Friendly Monmouthshire stand at the Chepstow Show on Saturday 8th August 2015. BfM shared a big marquee, the Big Green Tent, provided by Gwent Energy CIC, with Monmouthshire Meadows, Transition Chepstow, Walkers are Welcome and SARA (Severn Area Rescue Association). The show was very well attended as visitors were obviously encouraged out by the warm sunny weather.
Our displays attracted a lot of interest. The Transition Chepstow team prepared a Quiz for Children that required them to study all the display material to find the right answer to one question for each organisation. For adults, BfM prepared a Plant ID Quiz: visitors had to identify 6 plants and single out the plant that was the odd one out and explain why.
Over 70 packets of our Monmouthshire Mix seeds were sold. So that’s another 140 square metres of good pollinator-friendly UK native flowers ready for the insects next spring. If you bought seeds, make sure you sow them before the end of October. The Monmouthshire Meadows team was also on hand to give visitors lots more tips about how to create a wild flower meadow.
If you missed us at Chepstow, Bee Friendly Monmouthshire will be at the Monmouth Show on Thursday 27th August and at the Usk Show on Saturday 12th September.
Iolo Williams approves BFM seeds.
Seal of approval for Bee Friendly Monmouthshire
Iolo Williams visits Monmouthshire County Council’s stand at the Eisteddfod and gives the thumbs up to Bee Friendly Monmouthshire’s “Monmouthshire Mix” wild flower seeds.
Bee Friendly Monmouthshire 