Bee Hotel

Preston Montford staff came together on a crisp sunny January morning to help bees as part of our Eco Centre aims to improve biodiversity on the estate.

 Last August, a large bee hotel was constructed to help reverse the decline in bee populations, which are important plant and crop pollinators. It holds wood and hollow stems that solitary bees can use to lay their eggs. The larvae can use the hollows as a refuge before emerging as fully grown bees in the summer. 

Bee and wasp species such as Osmia bicornis, Megachile ligniseca and Ancistrocerus nigricornis were observed using the hotel in 2012, but some parts of the hotel still needed to be filled with nesting materials.

On 11^th January, staff collected hollow stemmed plants from their gardens and the estate and bundled them up into plastic bottles from their recycling boxes. They were then stacked into the bee hotel and we await the bees arrival in March.

We will let you know who signs the guest book!

Thanks to all staff involved in improving Preston Montford’s bee habitat.

If you would like to find out more, including how to make a Bee & Bee for bees in your garden, OPAL have a handy guide: http://www.opalexplorenature.org/Beehotels

Angela Munn (Eco Centre Coordinator)