Bee Happy Plants at Start@Kew Gardens 25th-29th August 2011

Win a Bee Garden!

We ran a competition at Kew Gardens during August 2011, and also invited our on-line customers to have a go at answering our two questions. Correct answers were entered into the prize draw. We hope to run more competitions like this at similar events - our aim is to educate the general public about the bees' struggle to find food in our changing environment.

Here were the two questions we asked you to answer, and here are the correct answers:

Q1: What is the forage food that bees need virtually all year round to survive?

A: The bees' forage foods are pollen and nectar.

Q2: What specific time of year do bees struggle to find enough forage food?

A: The specific time they seem to struggle the most is between the end of the spring flowering flush and before the summer flowering flush. In the South of the UK this is approximately June, extending into July. Further North it would be more like July going into August. However, in our parts it is known by beekeepers as 'The June Gap' - This was really the answer we were looking for! It may be surprising, but when you consider that this co-incides with the bee colony numbers rising to their peak at this time of year, so many more mouths to feed, it is then understandable!

Many thanks to all of you who entered the competition.

We are pleased to announce that Simon Goldsmith, who supports the amazing Edible Bus Stops in London, was the winner of our first prize. Congratulations Simon, and we look forward to spring when you will be planting in your prize, and showing photos of your bus stops!

Runners-up are Fiona Mathews, Deborah Fox, Chris Taylor, Debbie Retallick and Sarah Provan, who all receive a box of bee plants. Congratulations to you too. We look forward to hearing how your gardens improve and perhaps seeing a photo next year!

Headlines:

• Bee Happy Plants at Start@Kew Gardens 25th-29th August 2011
  22 Aug 2011
    Win a Bee Garden! We ran a competition at Kew Gardens during August 2011, and also invited our on-line customers to have a go at answering our two questions. Correct answers were entered into the prize draw. We hope to run more...    Read more