Help save our honey bees is the rallying cry of a new campaign aimed at getting the next generation involved and featuring one of honey's biggest fans
"A day without a friend is like a pot without a single drop of honey left inside", said Winnie-the-Pooh of his favourite afternoon snack. Who better then to front a new initiative from the British Beekeepers Association (BBKA) aimed at encouraging children to help save our diminishing British honey bees?
Further declines
This launch comes as a response to new research commissioned by the BBKA confirming a decline of 14.5% in England's honey bee colonies over the 2014-2015 winter. But while these figures are disheartening - particularly given the vital role that we all know bees play within our delicate ecosystem - encouragingly, both children and adults alike have expressed a desire to help but a lack of understanding of just how to go about that. 58% of British adults pledged that they would do more to help if only they knew how. While 83% of British children aged 5-10 were found to believe it is important to look after our environment.
David Aston, President of The British Beekeepers Association said: "While many people are aware of the plight of the honey bee, there are many that don't know what they can do to help. We hope that by supporting our 'Friends of the Honey Bee' initiative, families across the country can get involved, making a practical contribution and supporting bee health research."
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Help is at hand
Thursday 25 June sees the launch of a brand new 'bee-friendly' guide, inspired by Winnie-the-Pooh and friends which is available in printed form as part of a BBKA 'Friends of the Honey Bee' member pack or downloadable from Friends of the Honey Bee. The guide aims to inform families of the numerous ways in which they can help support the continuation of our honey bee colonies for generations to come.
10 simple steps to help save honey bees are included, ranging from planting up a window box and creating a vegetable patch to building bee habitats and becoming a beekeeper. Each step is illustrated with a full colour image of Winnie and friends taking action to save honey bees and - perhaps more importantly for Winnie himself - the future supply of fresh, local, British honey.
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Die hard fans of everyone's favourite Hundred Acre Wood-dwelling bear need fear not as the illustrations have been beautifully created by illustrator Mark Burgess, who coloured the original E.H. Shepherd black and white art.
The new guide includes a brand new short story and a list of ten simple activities to support British honey bees, as recommended by Winnie-the-Pooh (with a little help from the BBKA).
Winnie-the-Pooh's 10 simple steps to help save the honey bees
1. Plant your own window box2. Create your own vegetable patch or tub3. Plant a flowering tree in your garden4. Make some 'seed balls' and throw them into the wild5. Use arts and crafts to educate the younger generation on the importance of bees e.g. finger puppets, painting bee pictures, knitting bees etc6. Learn to become a beekeeper yourself by attending a course through the British Beekeepers Association7. Bake together at home using local honey8. Build bee habitats9. Volunteer for your local beekeeper association or visit your local apiary10. Don't panic, if you see a local honey bee swarm, contact your local beekeeping association
