Sainsbury’s is creating eight ‘bee hotels’ over the next few weeks at its new supermarket in Dursley, Gloucestershire.
The ‘bee hotels’, made from sustainably sourced timber and recycled materials, have been positioned on land around the supermarket’s new eco store in Dursley.
The landscaping surrounding the store has been crafted to supply a rich and varied diet of pollen and nectar for the bees, as a lack of forage is considered to be one of the main drivers of bee decline.
In return, experts believe bees will cover a considerable distance from the store across Gloucestershire, pollinating fruit and other commercial crops, as well as flowers and vegetables in thousands of back gardens and allotments along the way.
Gloucestershire is one of the UK’s main fruit and vegetable growing areas and farmers depend upon effective pollination to create a harvestable crop.
Bees are vital to that process, but the destruction of local habitat, and disease,have seen the populations dwindle.
There has been a 40% decline in insect pollinators over the last 20 years, with a 54% decline in managed honeybee colonies in England over the same period.
Several of the bee species being given a new home by the Sainsbury’s initiative are on the endangered list.
Some haven’t been recorded in Gloucestershire for the last 10 years, and with the mix of plant species in the landscaping, bee specialists believe there is a significant opportunity for populations to rebound.
Sainsbury’s believe that providing the bees with ideal conditions to live and breed will play a major role in helping stricken populations to grow and thrive. Results from projects like Operation Bumblebee have shown dramatic increases in bee populations within three years.
Said Sainsbury’s environment manager, Jack Cunningham: “The rapid decline in bee population has had a severe impact upon the productivity of British crops, so we have decided to take practical steps to help.
“Sainsbury’s already has a loyalty scheme where customers can collect Nectar points, so enabling bees to collect the real thing makes perfect sense.”
Bees are essential to pollinate around 80 of the 110 food crops grown commercially, and are fundamental in the production of vegetable and wild flower seeds.
Dwindling populations prevent fruits and seed from forming, a trend that could severally limit food production.
British bee expert, Robin Dean, with assistance from colleagues working for the aculeate conservation charity Hymettus, has been hired to oversee the entire initiative.
All of the bees that willl be taking up residence at Sainsbury’s new Dursley store are small solitary pollinators, living singly – not large colonies of honey bees living communally.
Solitary bees are very docile, and will not sting unless roughly handled, as they have no honey stores to defend, unlike honeybees. Most species of solitary bee have a very weak sting, and are unlikely to be able to penetrate human skin.
Bee hotels are just one of many ecological initiatives included at the new Sainsbury’s store.
The building has been designed to collect rain water for use in toilets and to irrigate plants. Special reflective pipes in the roof make maximum use of natural daylight.
Reducing the need for artificial lighting saves electricity and reduces the store’s carbon foot print. And cool air from food chillers is recycled to keep the store cool in summer.
Source: Sainsbury’s
