Celebrate Bee Week

Did you know that 90% of all our bees are solitary? No? Well, that’s the point of Bee Week!

The week is dedicated to raising awareness of solitary bees — including how we can help them to thrive and prevent them from declining further.

Taking Action to Save Our Bees

Throughout the week (29th June to the 5th July 2020), there are 6 activities you can participate in that are all dedicated to our fuzzy friends.

Let’s get into the details.

Plant for the Season

We all know that bees rely on plants to pollinate our earth, right? But, how many people know which ones solitary bees prefer? Not many!

So, whether you have a pot, a patio or a luscious garden, plant one of the flowers from the list below to commit to helping our declining bee population:

Calamint
Geranium rozanne
Lavandula eidelweis
Helenium SEF
Borage
Veronica spicata
Helenium autumnale
Eryngium planum
Rudbeckia fulgida

Leave Soil

For this task, you just have to leave a patch of lawn bare! It might seem a bit odd but a lot of the solitary bees are the mining variety. These (as their name suggests) burrow into the ground — they just need some exposed soil first!

Build a Bee Hotel

Okay, you don’t have to build one if you’re strapped for time. You can indeed buy one but that isn’t as fun! There are loads of tutorials out there on the world wide web that show you how to make them.

Wildflower Meadow

You don’t have to go and turn your entire garden into one big meadow. But, it is a good idea to have a patch like this so bees can be more comfortable.

Say What You See

The Great British Bee Count wants us to record our sightings of solitary bees in the park, garden and anywhere else! Naturally, Exeter’s ESI and Green&Blue (the creators of Solitary Bee Week) have incorporated this into the week.

Tell Your Friends

The final activity you can do is to simply tell your friends. Whether it’s a full-on presentation or a chat over a cuppa, just spread the word.