SCIENCE ON SALISBURY PLAIN

SCIENCE ON SALISBURY PLAIN

Remember the bees!

As the summer term draws to a close, Mrs Catherine Wilson, one of our much-loved Physics teachers, shares her passion for bees.

As we emerge form Lockdown, we may be lucky enough to remember the beautiful weather, time outside and seeing our hardworking bees amidst the beautiful flowers.  Bees are essential to our food chain but have been in decline over past decades due to loss of habitats and the widespread use of pesticides. The good news is that we can still make a difference because it is the hedgerows and gardens, small spaces and flowers that can make the difference for bees.  

Recent movements to raise awareness of the plight of bees have grown in momentum.  Mrs Walmsley and pupils from Warminster School have worked hard to encourage bumble bees to make Warminster School their home and year by year, more people get involved in looking after bees – but bees still need your help.

Salisbury Plain is a great place to spot bees but here are some ways of attracting them into your garden and giving them the homes they urgently need:

BEE HOME – Make a Bee Hotel.  

Did you know that In Britain, we have about 270 different species of bee and, of these, just under 250 species are known as ‘solitary bees’ – they live alone! Some of these bees build nests on the ground but some live in holes in stems and old plant tubes.  You can make life easy for these bees by building you own ‘bee hotel’!

https://www.rhs.org.uk/education-learning/gardening-children-schools/family-activities/Activities/activities/make-a-bee-hotel

BEE FOOD – Make a Bee-Friendly Garden

Bees need to eat two things from your garden: pollen and nectar.  By filling your garden with native plants such as honeysuckle, wild roses, lavender, foxgloves, hollyhocks, clematis and hydrangeas you can create a lovely diet for bees. Bees also love herbs!

Here are some steps for bringing bees into your garden

http://kidsinthegarden.co.uk/10-simple-steps-to-creating-a-bee-friendly-garden/#:~:text=By%20filling%20your%20garden%20with,herb%20for%20feeding%20honey%20bees.

BEE SURVIVAL – Save energy.

Did you know that many wild bee species are only able to survive in specific temperature ranges, and global warming now threatens the bee population.  “Global warming is believed to be a major driver of wild bee declines. Some wild bees can only survive in a narrow range of temperatures. As their habitats get warmer, the places where they can live grow smaller,” said Philip Donkersley, (senior research associate in Entomology – the study of insects – Lancaster University).  Here are some ways you can save energy and reduce pollution:

https://blog.directenergy.com/8-ways-to-help-kids-conserve-energy-summer/

Finally, test your knowledge of Bees!

Here is a quiz that you can try to find out why bees are so important and why we should look after them!

https://energysavingtrust.org.uk/whats-buzz-about-bees

Catherine Wilson​, Assistant Head (Professional Development), Teacher of Physics