World Bee day today!

Bloomin Marvellous We are supporting No Mow May where we enable wildflowers to grow and feed pollinators during the month of May. Spring flowers provide vital pollen for bee colonies and nests to grow.

Bees and other pollinators are struggling due to loss of habitat, changes in climates and use of pesticides.

We are increasing the number of wildflower meadows across Arun. To find out more about what we are doing to support biodiversity visit www.arun.gov.uk/biodiversity

You can help by planting bee-friendly plants and shrubs in your garden, such as clematis, lavender and fuschia.

Buzzy Bee Facts …

The top speed of a bee is 15-20mph!
Did you know bees use the sun to navigate? They can even ‘see’ the sun through the clouds due to their special vision
After they have collected pollen, they mix it with water to make ’bee bread’ that is fed to their growing larvae. People even eat bee bread to try and avoid hayfever

For more buzzing facts and advice on how to help bees visit www.bbka.org.uk

South Downs National Park
More than 66 hectares, the equivalent of 163 football pitches, of lush wildflower habitat have been created in the South Downs National Park to help bees flourish.

As the National Park marks World Bee Day (20 May), the Bee Lines initiative continues to give a helping hand to struggling pollinator populations by creating wildflower havens at farms, community fields, recreation grounds, road verges, schools, and even cemeteries and golf clubs.

Early ecological data shows that the wildflower planting is helping bees and butterflies bounce back.

It comes after Bee Lines launched exactly four years ago to create a new network of wildflower corridors to help support bees and other pollinators. These insects have been on a steep decline across the UK for several decades and are now under threat from climate change.

Eighteen projects across Hampshire and Sussex have so far benefitted from a share of almost £95,000 of funding from the South Downs National Park Trust, the official independent charity for the National Park.

To find out more about ReNature visit www.southdowns.gov.uk/renature/