As part of Pollinator Awareness Week (13th-19th July), Bees’ Needs week has running this week on Twitter – check out #BeesNeeds to see lots of fascinating tweets on how to help bees by charities, businesses and bee experts. You don’t need a Twitter account to read them.

You may well have already seen this story on Emma’s Miss Apis Mellifera blog, but if not check out this charming bee hotel created by Yorkshire family tea business Taylors of Harrogate. The rooms provide sweet sustenance for hungry bee visitors and are themed by the company’s tea flavours, such as sour cherry and spiced apple. You can get a free taster pack of their fruit & herbal teas at bees.taylorstea.co.uk

© Licensed to simonjacobs.com. 20.06.16 London, UK.A general view of a Taylor’s of Harrogate specially commissioned bee hotel on Hampstead Heath.FREE PRESS, EDITORIAL AND PR USAGE.Photo credit: Simon Jacobs

Here’s a short video of bumblebees enjoying the hotel on You Tube: Taylors of Harrogate Bee Hotel.

Taylors say:

“Research by the University of Bristol has found that rural bees are in the decline as opposed to city bees, and as a solution, Taylors of Harrogate has created a luxury bee hotel to support the work of urban busy-bees! By creating the bee hotel Taylors of Harrogate is also thanking the bees for the flavour, as without bees there would be no flavour in our teas! The miniature hotel is an intricately designed, with luxury interior features such as plates filled with pollen to feast on in the Rose Lemonade restaurant, and a sugar water bath in the Sweet Rhubarb suite.”

The Taylors of Harrogate bee hotel is an intricately designed miniature hotel, with luxury interior features such as plates filled with pollen to feast on in the Rose Lemonade restaurant, and a sugar water bath in the Sweet Rhubarb suite.

The hotel itself is made from balsa wood and includes traditional hollow tubes in the bedrooms, which is a popular nesting choice for solitary bees. Other key features, such as sugar water baths and ultraviolet patterns, have been included based on scientific research that suggests that bees are attracted to these, and will therefore be enticed to enter the bee hotel to get some much needed rest and relaxation.

Kate Halloran from Taylors of Harrogate, adds: “Bees are so important in helping to provide great flavour, but less attention has been paid to show how urban areas can be made more pollinator-friendly. The aim of the bee hotel is to not only educate and entertain, but to also inspire action. From the Peppermint Leaf Gym for a complete wing work out, through to the luxury Sweet Rhubarb Suite with its decadent rhubarb sugar water bath and UV disco, their every need will be taken care of.

© Licensed to simonjacobs.com. 20.06.16 London, UK.Kate Hallaran from Taylor’s of Harrogate with a specially commissioned Bee HotelFREE PRESS, EDITORIAL AND PR USAGE.Photo credit: Simon Jacobs

“Many people may be unaware that some of our favourite fruits, including apple and cherries all depend on insect pollinators, including bees. We want to raise awareness of this issue and encourage everyone to get more deeply involved and help create a network of real bee hotels, starting in their own back gardens.”

City vs rural bees

Taylors of Harrogate commissioned a poll to measure public perceptions of bee populations in the UK and found that 75 per cent of surveyed Brits would expect to see more bees in rural areas – but according to experts, it is now more common to find a wider variety of bees thriving in UK cities.

Research led by the University of Bristol has found that when comparing the number of bee species living in urban and rural areas, there were on average 9.3 species (per km2) in urban areas, compared to only 7.3 species (per km2) in farmlands. [This is probably due to monocrops in rural areas, which leave little for bees to feed on once they have finished flowering. In contrast urban areas tend to have a greater variety of flowering plants.]

Dr Katherine Baldock from the University of Bristol comments: “Bees need two things; food and a suitable nesting site. Both of these can be found in UK cities, although our research shows that urban areas can host high numbers of bees, as well as many different species, there are still many ways we can improve our towns and cities for bees, other pollinators and wildlife in general. Bee-friendly flowers in gardens and public places provide crucial pollen and nectar sources and bee hotels provide important nesting sites.”

How urban (and rural!) gardeners can help

Helen Bostock, Senior Horticultural Advisor at the Royal Horticultural Society, has written some advice on planting for pollinators: RHS National Pollinator Awareness Week. Her suggestions include:

• Keep an eye for plants and seed mixes bearing the RHS Perfect for Pollinator bee logo or advertised as good for pollinators.
•  See what works well in your garden and neighbouring gardens – if you spot a plant that’s covered in bees, plant more of it! The RHS Perfect for Pollinators lists are a good starting point but don’t be afraid to try out new things.
• Strive to have something in flower in your garden every month of the year. British wildflowers tend to peak in early summer so add some late flowering plants such as Japanese anemones, asters, chrysanthemums and single-flowered dahlias.
•  Get involved with a local beekeeping society. Even if you’re not inclined to keep honey bees yourself, you can support beekeepers in your neighbourhood by stocking your garden with nectar and pollen rich flowers.
• Put up ‘bee hotels’. These work a treat for providing nesting sites for some of our wild, solitary bees such as Red Mason Bee.
• Don’t disturb bumblebee nests or the nests of ground nesting bees.

To find out more about opening your very own luxury bee hotel visit bees.taylorstea.co.uk.