Plymouth allotment holders, concerned at the falling number of bees have set up new bee hives in the allotments in Central Park.
A new community apiary is being managed by Central Park Allotments Association working in partnership with Plymouth City Council. Under the scheme, allotment holders can put hives in the apiary and they already have two very busy colonies of honey bees in place. There was a formal opening ceremony and tape cutting in early July with guests including local councillors and members of the Plymouth branch of the British Beekeepers Association, which took place at Venn Farm Allotment site.
There was a large screened area in a pretty, natural woodland setting, surrounded by wildflowers and fruit trees and bushes, with the wooden beehives available for a closer look.
Spare bee suits and gloves were available for anyone who wanted to take a closer look.
A beehive in summer contains one queen and up to 50,000 bees, 95% of which are female and live for just six weeks. This means they spend the first three weeks of their life in the hive, cleaning and nursing young, and the final three weeks foraging away from the hive for nectar and pollen.
Bees are in serious decline around the world due to use of pesticides and habitat loss. Considering 70% of the fruit and vegetables we eat are pollinated by bees, it proves how important bees are to our general survival. However, city bees are showing signs of thriving, due to the mixed nature of plant species in towns.
