Information

Bees

This is a group for people who are concerned about the decline of bees, and are working locally to help them or would like to get involved.

Friends of the Earth’s Bee Cause campaign is currently calling for a national bee action plan while raising awareness of the need to help bees.

Locally, many groups and individuals have been planting bee-friendly plants and Hackney Council has created several new wildflower meadows.

Please use this group to share what you are doing to help bees - as well as news or photos of bees that you've seen in Hackney.

Website: http://www.foe.co.uk/groups/hackney/
Location: Biodiversity
People: 12
Latest Activity: Oct 30, 2018

Links

Hackney's 50 bee species - A Talk by Russell Miller 16 June 2016

Bee Walk at West Hackney Rec June 2016

Capital Bee - campaigning for a bee-friendly London.

Royal Horticultural Society: lists of recommended wild flowers and
cultivated flowers that are 'Perfect for Pollinators.'

River of Flowers - a project to sow corridors of wildflowers throughout London and beyond.

Hackney Citizen article about the bee campaign, and what you can do to help bees.

News story on the Tower Habitats website about the campaign, and Hackney & Tower Hamlets Friends of the Earth's recent 'bee walk.'

Report of the bee walk on Friends of the Earth's website.

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Comment by Russell Miller on March 13, 2015 at 13:36
Comment by Russell Miller on March 6, 2015 at 21:57

Buff tailed bumblebee queens emerging at Daubeney Orcahrd.

4 species at King Henry's Walk Garden today:

honey bee, hairy footed flower bee (males); buff tailed bumblebee (too small for a queen, = over wintering colony??); tiny unidentified species.

Comment by Russell Miller on June 28, 2013 at 17:57

Hi Kathryn

Got any other pics of your bee?

Not sure as to id from the one you posted.

R

Comment by Friederike Hanisch on June 28, 2013 at 14:33

That's fantastic news!!!

Comment by Tim Evans on June 25, 2013 at 18:15

New and even more damning study of neonics by an international panel including Dave Goulson. Note the emphasis on field realistic exposures, which is one of the industry's smokescreens. The British Bee Keepers Association continues to refuse to call for a ban.

"At field realistic exposure levels, neonicotinoids produce a wide range of adverse sublethal effects in honeybee colonies and bumblebee colonies, affecting colony performance through impairment of foraging success, brood and larval development, memory and learning, damage to the central nervous system, susceptibility to diseases, hive hygiene etc.

Neonicotinoids synergistically reinforce infectious agents such as N. ceranae and exhibit synergistic toxicity with other agrochemicals.

The large impact of short term field realistic exposure of bumblebee colonies on long term bumblebee queen production (85% reduction) could be a key factor contributing to the global trends of bumblebee decline.

Only a few studies assessed the toxicity to other wild pollinators, but the available data suggest that they are likely to exhibit similar toxicity to all wild insect pollinators.

The worldwide production of neonicotinoids is still increasing. In view of the vital importance of the service insect pollinators provide to both natural ecosystems and farming, they require a high level of protection. Therefore a transition to pollinator-friendly alternatives to neonicotinoids is urgently needed for the sake of the sustainability of pollinator ecosystem services."

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877343513000493

'Neonicotinoids, bee disorders and the sustainability of pollinator services', van der Sluijs et al, Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability in press 6 June 2013

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cosust.2013.05.007

Comment by Tim Evans on June 17, 2013 at 20:07

Katherine said:

"Over one third of hives have been lost"

Well, that's one third of hives belonging to BBKA members. Many 'natural' beekeepers are not BBKA members because of BBKA's hostility, and so aren't reported in the survey. BBKA members often use imported Italian bees, not adapted for the UK winter. They often take so much honey that they have to routinely sugar-feed in the autumn and early spring. And hives may make a difference - the (BBKA-disapproved) hives we use at the Tree Nursery for example are known to allow bees to winter on 25-30% less stores, we left them plenty of honey, and both wintered well. It would be interesting to know the non-BBKA survival rate.

Also, it's only kept honeybees. We don't know how wild bees did, or even feral honeybees.

Comment by James Diamond on April 29, 2013 at 12:08

Bee deaths: EU to ban neonicotinoid pesticides

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-22335520

Comment by Russell Miller on March 14, 2013 at 19:58

The destruction of the Abney eastern woodland edge(Wilmer place development) will destroy approx 300sqm of foraging habitat for bees.

This is a common carder bee (Bombus pascuorum) feeding on woody nightshade in Wilmer Place last August.  I also saw 3 other species on a brief visit but have yet to id them.

Urgent objections to Wilmer Place development required now.

Comment by Colin Harris on March 3, 2013 at 21:36

signed :)

Comment by Mike Martin on October 17, 2012 at 10:28

38 degrees have a new petition to call for the government to phase out certain pesticides that are killing bees. Sign up and get others to sign. https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/save-our-bees

 

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