Today is World Bee Day, 20th May, an annual celebration of bees: important pollinators who need our help!
World Bee Day also falls in the middle of Biodiversity Week, an annual festival designed to help people get closer to nature.
Donegal County Council has been busy bees so far hosting Bee a Biodiversity Explorer at the Glenveagh National Park Biodiversity Festival, meeting with and discussing the bee’s needs with the Three Rivers Beekeepers, checking out some wonderful ‘No Mow’ meadow areas in Ballyshannon and still to come this Saturday is an introduction to pollinator ID with renowned entomologist, Stuart Dunlop in partnership with Buncrana Community Library.
On the island of Ireland, insects pollinate more than three quarters of our wild plants, providing food and shelter for birds and mammals and contributing to healthy ecosystems. They are also responsible for healthy yields of many crops, fruits, and vegetables including apples, berries, tomatoes, and pumpkins. Pollinators are hugely important for safeguarding biodiversity, our food supply, and many industries connected to it.
But 1/3 of our wild bees (bumblebees and solitary bees) are in decline, however there are simple ways to help them like mowing less to encourage native wildflowers. So this year Donegal County Council have gone wild about meadows and have expanded our ‘No Mow’ areas to allow native plants, wildflowers and grasses to flower, benefiting pollinators and biodiversity.
Why not support ‘Don’t Mow May’ and help your local bumblebees by leaving a small patch of your lawn to flower and see what pops up.
