Bee-Friend Buckingham's bees with free wildflower seeds

Buckingham residents are being urged to 'Bee-Friend' their local bees.

Buckingham Town Council is looking at ways of protecting and increasing native wildflower species in the Buckingham area, to support the declining bee population.

Bees are vital for pollinating the crops we need, and they need regular ‘snack stops’ to give them the energy to fly to and from the fields and gardens where they collect nectar - and pollinate plants in the process.

Modern, manicured gardens frequently lack the diversity of flowering plants needed to help the busy bees refuel.

So Buckingham Town Council’s vision is to create a network of bee corridors - planting schemes that link up different areas of the town, so bees and other pollinators can travel easily from one area of wildflower planting to another.

The town council has already turned over large swathes of Buckingham's parkland to beautiful wildflower meadows.

It also keeps its grass cutting schedule under review, to ensure verges and hedges are trimmed less and later in the year, to support more wildflowers and insect.

Now it is encouraging residents to do their bit, by planting small areas of native wildflowers in gardens all across Buckingham, creating a network of nectar ‘pit stops’ for hardworking pollinators.

As part of its new initiative, Bee-Friendly Buckingham, the town council will be handing out free packets of wildflower seeds, to encourage the development of bee-friendly corridors.

Councillors will be handing out free packets of native wildflower seeds, with instructions on how to create your own bee-friendly plot, pot or planter, at this year’s Spring Green Fair from 10am to 2pm on Sunday, April 24, in the Cattle Pens.

Councillor Anja Schaefer, vice-chair of the town council's Environment Committee, said: “Pollinating insects, such as bees, are so important for a healthy environment and also for our own food security, yet they are in serious decline.

"We can all do a little bit to help them by sowing a small area of insect-friendly, native wildflowers in our gardens, or even on a windowsill.”

More information and resources on how to support insect pollinators can be found on the Bucks Buzzing website.