Making a beeline for the city
Not everyone's a country lover. Even bees get a buzz from the city, and, according to researchers at Worcester University, the honey they produce may be more fragrant and intense due to the variety of trees and plants in suburban areas.
Bees have diminished drastically in recent times, with 3 species and half the population disappearing during the last 30 years. Experts believe climate change is partly to blame, while another cause may be agricultural chemicals which attack the nervous systems of immature bees, leaving them vulnerable to disease. Pesticides and other pollutants may also interfere with the bees' ability to locate food and pass on this vital information to the colony.
As well as producing low pollen, intensive farming and the predominance of oil seed rape tends to affect honey's flavour. In contrast, gardens in urban and suburban areas provide an abundance of different pollens with lime and rowan trees, lilies, elderberry, blackberry, rock rose and eucalyptus to name but a few. These engender a richer, more complex tasting honey that is truly delectable.
The study was conducted for the National Trust, which is keen to identify threats to Britain's bees. Matthew Oates, the Trust's nature conservation adviser feels these early findings are "distinctly interesting". He adds, Apart from crops such as oilseed rape and field beans, there are precious few pollen sources around for bees and other insects in modern arable farmland, and surprisingly little in areas specialising in dairy, beef or sheep production."
Whether we have a large garden or a window box, all of us can do our bit by planting flowers for bees and other insects that are so essential to a healthy ecosystem.