People are being urged to give bees the gift of flowers this Valentine’s Day as part of efforts by Metro Mayor Dan Norris to help the region’s pollinators.
Mayor Norris has curated a list of five simple steps to help bees, whose pollinating services are worth around £690 million a year in boosting yields and the quality of fruit and vegetables.
People can easily get involved in the measures, like getting green-fingered by planting more flowers that are rich in nectar and pollen, eating local honey and ditching bee-harming pesticides for good.
Schoolchildren are being given a February half-term challenge to build “bee hotels” out of simple items like plastic drinks bottles and string.
Metro Mayor Dan Norris, who has pledged to make the West of England the Bee and Pollinator Capital of the whole country, said: “Bees are bee-rilliant. From blueberries and strawberries to broccoli and squash, it’s thanks to these busy creatures that we have a plentiful supply of all our favourite fruit and veg here in the West of England.
“But bees haven’t been feeling the love of late thanks to the loss of their habitats, the use of nasty bee-harming pesticides and the climate crisis we all face.
“The good news is there are some super simple things you can do to help out our little buds on the most romantic day of the year and beyond.
“Let’s all play our part and show our pollinator pals some loving this Valentine’s Day.”
Mayor Norris’s 5 steps to help pollinators this Valentine’s Day include:
- Get green fingers – grow more flowers in your garden, balcony or allotment that will flower throughout the year. From shrubs to herbs, every pot will help.
- Leave hibernating insects alone – avoid disturbing or destroying nesting or hibernating insects in places like hedgerows, trees or walls. This is important to make sure the next generation of pollinators can survive this winter and to start again this coming spring.
- Eat local honey – you’ll be supporting a local business and their bees.
- Ditch the pesticides for good – pesticides create a toxic environment for all creatures but are especially harmful for bees and other pollinators. Not using them is better for you, your family, pets and the planet.
- Make your own very Bee Hotel – you can do this using recycled materials to provide spaces for solitary bees to nest. Friends of the Earth have put together a helpful explainer on how to make your very own bee sanctuary: https://friendsoftheearth.uk/bees/make-a-bee-house.