The Dirt Diaries

The plight of pollinators across the pond

Last March I wrote an article for The Christian Science Monitor talking about the alarming decline of honeybees in America.

“Give bees a chance” discussed factors behind the disappearance of pollinators, and outlined things gardeners could do help struggling bee populations.

Recently, I visited England and learned that bees there are also in danger.

Unlike in the US, Colony Collapse Disorder is not an issue in Europe. However, the varroa mite, viruses, pesticides and industrial farming are all believed to have contributed to the loss of more than 50% of the bee population over the past two decades.

There are also fewer grassland habitats and wildflowers in the countryside thanks to sprawl and new agricultural practices. As a result, two UK honeybee species are now extinct.

The buzz about shrinking numbers of honeybees has mobilized concerned citizens and help is coming from all manner of honey lovers including Winnie-the-Pooh and Queen Elizabeth II.

Visit bbka.org.uk to download kid and bee friendly activities

The British Beekeeping Association recently launched a new campaign (Friends of the Honeybee) encouraging children to lend pollinators a hand. Pooh’s 10 simple steps include planting a flowering tree and building bee habitats.

Buckingham Palace is the Queen’s official London home. The Changing of the Guard in front of the palace has long been a major tourist attraction, but visitors seldom see the 39-acre walled oasis behind the 775-room royal residence. I was fortunate enough to be included in a walking tour last month.

The Queen’s Garden is aptly named because Her Majesty oversees all landscaping decisions. The garden features 6,500 plants, 420 trees and 35 types of mulberry. The various garden “rooms” including a formal rose garden, are connected by 2 ½ miles of gravel paths. The original landscape design is credited to Capability Brown.

80 varieties of birds have been spotted there, along with, bats, foxes, hedgehogs and 20 tawny owls.

In 2009, two Italian honeybee hives were placed in the garden as requested by the Queen. Two more hives of these “placid” bees were added the following year. An expert from the London Beekeepers Association tends to the 200,000 bees, along with a specially trained royal gardener.

Busy bees: the Royal Hives are on an island in the Queen's garden. (Courtesy Daily Mail)

All four hives are located on a man made island in the middle of the garden’s 3.5-acre lake. The island is virtually untouched and is part of the Long Grass Policy, where over 350 varieties of wildflowers are allowed to go through a full cycle of growth, including seed spreading, before grasses are cut in late August. The plants reproduce and sustain themselves without help from the eight gardeners on staff.

Bees can also visit and harvest nectar from 600 other plants in the main garden where something is always in bloom. These busy bees produced 420 jars of honey last year. The Queen is said to enjoy a bit of royal honey on her breakfast tray.

The Long Grass Policy is just one of the initiatives employed at Buckingham Palace to keep the Queen’s gardens as “green” as possible. According to Gardens Manager Mark Lane, 99% of green waste is recycled on site. Grass cuttings, twigs, branches and soiled straw from the royal stables are shredded and turned until rotted sufficiently to be used as mulch. Even tree stumps are allowed to rot naturally.

F&M's hives are painted in their traditional duck egg blue.

Not far from Buckingham Palace, the legendary Fortnum & Mason, purveyors of fine foods, has added four 6-foot tall beehives to the roof of their flagship Piccadilly store. Shoppers can watch the “gentle” Welsh Black bees on the bee-cam. There is a waiting list for the honey.

Surprisingly, beehives were on the roof of the Macdonald Hotel where we stayed in Windsor. Visitors can take a peek at the hives in action through glass windows overlooking the roof. Each window is inscribed with a bee fact such as “Honeybees account for 80% of all insect pollination.”

You can even name and adopt a bee for £1 through Plan Bee, the firm that cares for the bees at the hotel.

Beehives are also located on a barge moored to Tower Bridge, and on the roof of the National Portrait Gallery. And more people are inquiring about beekeeping every day.

It appears things are beginning to look a lot sweeter for honeybees in Britain.

Beehive at the Chelsea Physic Garden in London

To borrow a Shakespeare phrase, it has been a foul and fair year. Some health issues interrupted the summer, but fortunately all has been resolved.

Despite missing out on a good part of our gardening season (and a few other foul bits), we've had some pretty terrific moments in 2015. Here are a few highlights.

Wishing you all the best for 2016.