Hello Honey Monsters!
July is here! The wildflowers are out in full bloom, we hope you find some time to take in their display and catch some rays while you are at it! As mentioned in our last newsletter, our bee sisters are at their strongest right now. They are working hard to make the most of the abundance of nectar available, as they begin to prepare for winter.
We would love to bring your attention to a special day coming up o the 10th of July, with a message very dear to us.
National don’t step on a bee day.
As blunt as the name may sound, it is a critical day for raising awareness about the little things you can do to help out our bee friends. Apart from not stepping on them.
This day is aimed specifically at raising awareness about our bee sister distant fuzzy cousin, the bumble bee. Unlike our honey bee sisters, bumble bees are not often kept and are usually wild. Therefore, they are much more vulnerable to changes in the ecosystem and rely on native and varied flora to survive. As monoculture farming becomes more prevalent, along with the use of pesticides, our dear fuzzy friends become even more at risk.
The good thing about helping bumble bees, and initiatives like Don’t step on a bee day, is that the little changes they encourage also help out a variety of other insects. Including our lovely honey bee sisters.
Here are a few tips to help you, give them a helping hand.
🐝 – Don’t Step on a Bee! (obviously); if you see a bee, that is in a place likely to be stepped on, consider moving it on a stick. Most of the time the bee will climb onto any stick or leaf that you put next to it. Then gently place it down, out of the road. Chances are it will just be in need of a rest.
🐝 – Talk about Bees! Share your love of bees with others around you. Share some facts with your friends, or give your family a jar of honey as a gift, anything that gives people a reason to think about bees!
🐝 – Support Local Beekeepers – We are so grateful for the support our Honeymonsters already give us. This support enables us to continue providing for our bees, as well as giving them a voice to let people know what they need. There are as well many other Beekeepers in Scotland, all of them doing fantastic work to help their own bee sisters.
🐝 – Go a little wild! – If you have any amount of land that you manage, i.e. a garden, allotment. Consider leaving a small area of the garden to go wild. Not only will this provide a good habitat for bees and other insects, but it can also be a pleasant feature, that will be constantly changing throughout the year. Even just be mowing the lawn less frequently and allowing any wildflowers to push through can make a big difference.
🐝 – Make a Bee Hotel! Bee hotels are the perfect shelter for bumble bees. Especially when it is cold. A queen bumblebee will find somewhere to hibernate over the winter. So a dry, and well-built Bee hotel is the perfect spot. Not to mention all the other wonderful insects you will have move in. Make sure you place it somewhere you can keep an eye on all your guests coming and going!
🐝 – Become a Beekeeper! It might sound a little intimidating, and it is a lot of work. But beekeeping can be learnt just like anything else if you are passionate enough to do so. There are many different ways to learn, including online, and there are brilliant communities of hobby beekeepers to support you on your journey. It is one of the best ways to provide direct care to bees. Besides giving bees a home, you will also bee promoting the importance of biodiversity wherever you set up your apiary.
If you would like to find out more about what the bees need from us with hands-on experience. Or if you would like to take the first steps towards keeping your one bees. Please check out our Beekeeping experiences. These are a great opportunity to get some personal time with the bees. Guided by Andy, you will struggle to find anyone more informed and passionate to answer your questions or guide you on your Beekeeping journey.
Our bee sisters are out reaping the benefits of the wonderful summer weather we are having. One of the flowering periods of a particular favourite flower for our bee sisters is just coming to an end. Rapeseed, is one of the first mass crops to flower in early April, and the last of those flowers will be closing up around about now. We love the honey that the bees make from these flowers, it sets quickly, so it has a fudge-like texture. It is incredibly silky considering it crystalizes so fast. We use it as the base for most of our infusions, as the mild flavour allows for whichever infusion we choose to shine through. We would highly recommend picking up a jar of Rapeseed honey, either in-store or online.
