Celebrating World Bee Day with new bug hotels
Monday, 20 May 2024
To mark World Bee Day 2024 (Monday 20 May), we have installed a number of bug hotels across our estates to support local wildlife and increase biodiversity.
Built by adults who attend Silsoe Horticultural Centre, where adults with learning disabilities can get involved in planting, growing and harvesting produce, the structures offer safe places for bees and other insects to live and thrive.
The bug hotels were also beautifully decorated, with children from Kingfisher Children's Home teaming up with older residents from Johnson Court, a retirement complex in Houghton Regis.
Bug hotels provide shelter and nesting spots for insects, including solitary bees, helping protect them from bad weather and predators. This helps support their life cycles and therefore the pollination of nearby plants, helping to ensure green spaces remain healthy and vibrant. They attract a variety of insects, which helps maintain balanced ecosystems.
Furthermore, the new bug hotels contribute to our biodiversity duty introduced by the Environment Act 2021, which requires local authorities to take steps to support and increase the variety of plants, animals, and other wildlife in their areas. As well as introducing the bug hotels, we have planted daffodils on the Downside and Parkside estates, and installed bird boxes to enhance the local environment and support wildlife.
Councillor Steven Watkins, Executive Member for Business, Housing and Public Assets, said:
This project highlights the importance of bees and other pollinators, but has also helped bring our communities together, with different age groups teaming up to decorate the bug hotels. It's a true community effort that shows our commitment to sustainability and environmental education.
As well as contributing to its biodiversity duty, the project is a continuation of our estate improvement programme, helping tenants feel proud of where the live by enhancing green spaces and improving facilities. Our Housing Services team has installed a new play park in Meadow Way, Leighton Buzzard and held a ‘Big Paint Off’ day in at Manning Court in Houghton Regis where the estate's fencing was re-painted using Community RePaint, an economical and sustainable solution for leftover paint from commercial and trade courses.