Coastal retirement villages | Protecting pollinators this World Bee Day
Coastal retirement villages are few and far between. Their locations are idyllic and often surrounded by nature in all its glory. At Burnham Waters, we are one of the few luxury retirement villages by the sea and are privy to beautiful flora and wonderful Essex wildlife!
In this week’s blog, we’re focusing on all thing’s bees! They’re an integral part of the eco-system and along the coast, we’re lucky to see them often around the Burnham Waters site! With World Bee Day on 20th May, we’re taking a closer look!
Why World Bee Day?
World Bee Day allows us to appreciate just how much these little superheroes do for our world! We often take them for granted, but they provide for humanity and make a significant difference to life as we know it! Without them, things would be quite different.
May is the chosen month for Bee Day because in the northern hemisphere, the need for pollination is greatest during this time. In the southern hemisphere, honey harvesting, and productions of bee products is in full swing, so it certainly seems fitting. Each year, this day is all about acknowledging the importance in role of bees and other pollinators within the ecosystem!
The pollination problem
Whether you’re young or old, living with parents, living with friends, or at coastal retirement villages, everyone can do their bit to protect bees! Unfortunately, bees and other pollinators, such as hummingbirds, butterflies and bats are increasingly under threat from human activities.
Pollination is an essential process for the survival of our ecosystems! Did you know that:
- 90% of the world’s wild flowering plant species
- 75% of global food crops
- 35% of agricultural land worldwide
depend on pollination!
Not only do pollinators contribute directly to food security, but they are key to conserving biodiversity. We need to make the change to protect them now. If we don’t, pollinators are at risk of extinction, which will result in monumental problems in our ecosystems, a decrease in fruits, vegetables and nuts, resulting in issues with the quality of food grown and an imbalanced diet.
How we can help bees?
Fortunately, there are plenty of things we can do to help bees and encourage them into our outdoor spaces. Coastal retirement villages are often in prime location to enhance the lives of bees and pollinators because of their more hospitable surroundings. Want to help bees? Try these tips:
- Plant some diverse native plants that will flower throughout the year in your garden.
- Buy raw honey from local farmers.
- Avoid using pesticides, fungicides or herbicides in your garden.
- Make a bee water fountain, leaving a water bowl outside with a little sugar in.
- Sponsor a hive.
- Pot nectar-bearing flowers for decorative purposes on balconies and terraces.
Share this information with your community! The decline of bees and pollinators will affect us all, so the more people that know how to help, the better!
Wasps vs. bees
Bees and wasps are often mixed up because they are a similar shape, with similar features. They also tend to be lumped into the same ‘stinging critter’ category. Although both creatures have a sting, they are entirely different.
Physically, wasps have distinct yellow/black bands around the abdomen whereas bees have more of a light brown/honey yellowed colour. They also appear ‘fuzzy’, whereas wasps look shiny and hard-shelled. Bees are social insects and live in nests which may contain several thousand workers.
Bees are beneficial to humans because they pollinate plants, whereas wasps help out by eating other insects. Both have hazardous stings if you are allergic to their venom. However, these insects only sting if they feel that they, or their nests are under threat. If ever approached by unwanted flying company, calmly move away, walking in a straight line towards shelter. Do not swat at them, as this could cause bees or wasps to go in self-defense mode and increases your chances of being stung.
Spring planting for bees
If you’re looking for specific plants that bees love this spring, we have curated a list of favourable florals! For more information on this, visit The British Beekeepers Association Blog page.
Keep in mind that simple flowers are best. Avoid highly developed varieties. Different species of bee have different requirements, but providing a good mixture of flowers will keep them all happy.
Fruit Trees - If you have the room, fruit trees can produce a mass of nectar and pollen - pears, apples, plums and damsons are best.
Lenten Lily - There are many beautiful varieties of lily variant. Their flowers are white, pink and deep red in colour and bees love them.
Anemone Blanda - Small and no trouble to grow, these daisy-like flowers are found in purple, pink or white - a mass planting can look wonderful and attract those fuzzy, flying friends.
Foxgloves - The tubular shape of each flower allows bees to crawl inside them and get to the nectar. A safe haven for a rest.
Lavender - With its amazing smell, this is bee heaven! These resistant shrubs come in a variety of shades and look beautiful throughout spring and summer.
Buddleja - Also known as the 'Butterfly Bush', Buddleja is one of the best summer flowering plants for bees. The large masses of conical blooms attract all sorts of pollinating insects! These plants are known to go crazy, so be sure you have a lot of room before planting.
Single Dahlias - Many dahlias that have been bred to have large double flowers, which effectively 'shut out' bees as there are far too many petals in the way for them to get to the pollen and nectar. The single flowered varieties have the open flowers that bees love and can fly to and from as they collect their food!
Get in touch
They don’t call them busy bees for no reason! We hope this week’s blog has given you an insight into just how much bees do for us. If you’re looking to move to a place where wildlife and flora is in abundance, then coastal retirement villages could be what you’re looking for! At Burnham Waters, our luxury community is located right by sea in the quaint town of Burnham-on-Crouch in Essex.
Want to know more? We’d love to hear from you. Simply send us an email at info@burnhamwaters.co.uk, or fill out our contact form for a downloadable brochure.
Our Marketing Suite is open daily, 10am-3pm. Simply call our sales team at on 01621 861559 to arrange an appointment.
Don’t forget to scroll to the bottom of our home page and sign up to our newsletter for all the latest news on our community for the 55 and overs. We look forward to hearing from you!
