Council to apply for ‘bee friendly’ status for town

HENLEY could be awarded “bee friendly” status in recognition of efforts to create an environment rich in pollinators.

The town council will shortly apply to the Bee Friendly Trust, a charity set up to promote the creation of sustainable habits for bees. The result is expected as early as May.

To be recognised as bee friendly, the council would need to demonstrate that it is meeting specific criteria as follows:

• Habitat creation — to establish new habitats, such as wildflower meadows and bee hotels to provide shelter and food sources for bees.

• Community engagement — organise community events to raise awareness and involve residents in bee conservation efforts.

• Educational initiatives and public awareness campaigns — implementing programmes in schools and community groups to educate about the importance of bees and how to support them

• Support for local businesses — encouraging businesses to adopt bee-friendly practices, such as planting pollinator-friendly plants and reducing pesticide use.

• Monitoring and evaluation – regularly assessing the impact of bee-friendly initiatives and making necessary adjustments to improve outcomes.

• Policy development — advocating for local policies that protect and enhance pollinator habitats.

In addition, the town must provide support for residents undertaking “guerrilla gardening” to increase forage for bees in underutilised spaces.

Council initiatives have included planting native wildflowers and flowering plants in any available space and the Nature Squared campaign, which is in association with Henley in Bloom and the Henley Standard.

The initiative, which was launched in September 2023 in collaboration with climate action group Greener Henley, encourages residents to sow a 1m2 patch of native wildflowers with the aim of collectively planting 500m2 of pollinating plants. A total of 185 m2 has been planted so far.

Diana Barnett, the secretary of Greener Henley, who is leading the bid for bee friendly status, is urging residents to create bee hotels, using hollow sticks or bamboo, so solitary bees can lay their eggs.

She said: “Solitary bees are one of the main pollinators and they are the bees that come out this time of year. They either hibernate in holes in the ground or emerge from holes in the ground and that's where these bee hotels come in.

“They will come out and they'll look for food and they'll start looking for somewhere to lay their eggs and they will collect nectar and pollen and store them in these. Once they hatch out from their eggs, they are little tiny things and they have this hard shell almost like a chrysalis.

“The following year when the weather warms up that's when they will start to come alive and eventually evolve to a bee and start the cycle again.”

Mrs Barnett said that as well as creating shelter for the bees it was important to provide sustenance for them in the form of pollinating flowers.

She suggested several bee-friendly plants, including poppies, cornflowers, foxgloves, primroses, verbena, sweet Williams, lavender, and salvias. Native plants such as ox-eye daisies, red campion, yarrow, mallow, mullein, as well as ivy, which flowers later in the year and during winter, are also beneficial.

Residents can plant herbs such as thyme, wild marjoram, mint, borage, comfrey, rosemary, and marigolds to support bee populations.

Mrs Barnett said: “It's important to have a wide variety of pollinating plants. It's good to have plants that have nectar-strong scents at night because they're full of pollinators like butterflies and moths and bees and solitary bees and beetles.”

Mrs Barnett suggested leaving a little shallow dish by the bee shelters to provide them with water. She said: “Bees, like all living things, need water. So sometimes you might come across a bee that's just lying on the ground panting.

“All you would need to do is to put a little bit of water in a teaspoon and allow it to drink some and eventually it will shake itself and then fly off. You could use one of those saucers you put under plant pots and maybe put a stone in for them to stand on because you don’t want them to drown.”

Mrs Barnett said the council was looking for community groups to work with them to achieve bee friendly status and was already planning to hold a number of community events.

As part of the project, workshops, planting days and educational sessions focused on bee conservation are being planned. Sacred Heart School in Greys Hill is focusing on bees during its upcoming Science Week and is inviting a beekeeper to speak to the children.

For more information, email greenerhenley@gmail.com