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Following on from our previous article on bird and bat boxes, Alison Sinnott speaks to Catherine Keena from Teagasc and Doneraile Crafts Academy to see how farmers can make their own GLAS-approved bee sand habitats and boxes.
The importance of bees
According to Catherine Keena, countryside management specialist for Teagasc, bees are important for:
Pollination of plants and wildflowers.
Production of honey.
Our green image used to sell produce at a premium price.
Catherine says: “Bees are important for the pollination of food crops such as oil seed rape, peas, beans, apples and soft fruit. They also pollinate our wildflowers and produce honey.”
“Bees are a very important part of our green image. Having a healthy bee population is part of the green image that we use to sell our food at a premium price.”
On the decline
Bee numbers have been on the decline in recent years.
Catherine says: “Bees are declining primarily because of a lack of flowers in the countryside. Flowers provide pollen, which is the protein, and nectar, which is the carbohydrate, for bees.”
“Bees need a continuity of flowers right through from January to December in order to survive. Hedgerows are extremely important.”
“Variety is what is needed for the bee to survive,” Catherine continues. “In addition to food, bees also need a place to live.”
Catherine explains that there are three types of bees:
Bumble bees.
Honey bees.
Solitary bees.
Solitary bees are not found in hives, but instead some nest in the holes of clay banks, sand habitats and bee boxes.
Bee boxes:
1. Choose your wood:
Choose a 6in x 1in plank of suitable untreated wood for the bee box. The Craft Academy uses white deal as it is the cheapest, costing approximately €4/box. However, there are other timbers suitable for the job, such as larch. The wood should not be treated so as not to interfere with the welfare of the insect and should be made similar to the design set out by the Department.
2. Cut wood to measure: Using a hand or bench saw, cut the plank into the required measurements. Department recommendations are as follows – no less than 30cm high, 30cm wide and 20cm deep, with an overhang at the front to keep rain out. Sides of the box will be cut at a 15° angle to accommodate the slant of the roof.
3. Assembly:
The Craft Academy uses glue to assemble the pieces of the box together. Pins are then nailed into the box to create a more rigid and durable frame.
4. Inside filling:
Choose wood to add to the inside of the box. This can include a variety of branches or blocks of wood. However, all wood used must be untreated. The Craft Academy uses what is available to them and cuts it to the required 20cm.
The Craft Academy then fixes the wood to the inside of the box using glue or pins. They then create a variety of holes ranging from 3/8 to ¼ of an inch using a drill and suitable drill bit. It is important to ensure the entrance to the hole remains as clear as possible so as not to hurt the insect.
5. Bamboo shoots can also be used to fill the inside of the box. The bamboo should also be cut to 20cm and range in a variety of different sizes to cater for the bees. These can be fixed to the frame of the bee box using clay. Catherine advises the use of subsoil as a sticking agent.
Points to note:
Bee boxes should be placed 40cm off of the ground, in a sheltered and sunny area.
A minimum of one box is required and a maximum of five.
There should only be one box per tree.
The location of the box must be clearly marked on the map and maintained in the same position for the duration of the contract.
Bee sand habitats
When creating a sand habitat, it is recommended that it is placed in a sunny location that is south-facing and exposed to direct sunlight. Locations within 20 metres of a watercourse or on steep slopes should be avoided.
To create the habitat, place 1t of builder’s sand in a mound in an LPIS parcel or field and fence it from livestock.
There must be a minimum of one bee habitat and a maximum of two bee habitats and cannot be placed side by side.
Each mound must be individually fenced from livestock, with the annual strimming of the fenced-off area around the bee habitat throughout the GLAS contract to keep shading vegetation under control. Pesticides cannot be applied to the habitat.
Once again, the location must be clearly marked on the map and must be maintained in the same position for the duration of the contract.
Remember to retain the receipts for the sand indicating the weight for the duration of the GLAS contract.
Following on from our previous article on bird and bat boxes, Alison Sinnott speaks to Catherine Keena from Teagasc and Doneraile Crafts Academy to see how farmers can make their own GLAS-approved bee sand habitats and boxes.
The importance of bees
According to Catherine Keena, countryside management specialist for Teagasc, bees are important for:
Pollination of plants and wildflowers.
Production of honey.
Our green image used to sell produce at a premium price.
Catherine says: “Bees are important for the pollination of food crops such as oil seed rape, peas, beans, apples and soft fruit. They also pollinate our wildflowers and produce honey.”
“Bees are a very important part of our green image. Having a healthy bee population is part of the green image that we use to sell our food at a premium price.”
On the decline
Bee numbers have been on the decline in recent years.
Catherine says: “Bees are declining primarily because of a lack of flowers in the countryside. Flowers provide pollen, which is the protein, and nectar, which is the carbohydrate, for bees.”
“Bees need a continuity of flowers right through from January to December in order to survive. Hedgerows are extremely important.”
“Variety is what is needed for the bee to survive,” Catherine continues. “In addition to food, bees also need a place to live.”
Catherine explains that there are three types of bees:
Bumble bees.
Honey bees.
Solitary bees.
Solitary bees are not found in hives, but instead some nest in the holes of clay banks, sand habitats and bee boxes.
Bee boxes:
1. Choose your wood:
Choose a 6in x 1in plank of suitable untreated wood for the bee box. The Craft Academy uses white deal as it is the cheapest, costing approximately €4/box. However, there are other timbers suitable for the job, such as larch. The wood should not be treated so as not to interfere with the welfare of the insect and should be made similar to the design set out by the Department.
2. Cut wood to measure: Using a hand or bench saw, cut the plank into the required measurements. Department recommendations are as follows – no less than 30cm high, 30cm wide and 20cm deep, with an overhang at the front to keep rain out. Sides of the box will be cut at a 15° angle to accommodate the slant of the roof.
3. Assembly:
The Craft Academy uses glue to assemble the pieces of the box together. Pins are then nailed into the box to create a more rigid and durable frame.
4. Inside filling:
Choose wood to add to the inside of the box. This can include a variety of branches or blocks of wood. However, all wood used must be untreated. The Craft Academy uses what is available to them and cuts it to the required 20cm.
The Craft Academy then fixes the wood to the inside of the box using glue or pins. They then create a variety of holes ranging from 3/8 to ¼ of an inch using a drill and suitable drill bit. It is important to ensure the entrance to the hole remains as clear as possible so as not to hurt the insect.
5. Bamboo shoots can also be used to fill the inside of the box. The bamboo should also be cut to 20cm and range in a variety of different sizes to cater for the bees. These can be fixed to the frame of the bee box using clay. Catherine advises the use of subsoil as a sticking agent.
Points to note:
Bee boxes should be placed 40cm off of the ground, in a sheltered and sunny area.
A minimum of one box is required and a maximum of five.
There should only be one box per tree.
The location of the box must be clearly marked on the map and maintained in the same position for the duration of the contract.
Bee sand habitats
When creating a sand habitat, it is recommended that it is placed in a sunny location that is south-facing and exposed to direct sunlight. Locations within 20 metres of a watercourse or on steep slopes should be avoided.
To create the habitat, place 1t of builder’s sand in a mound in an LPIS parcel or field and fence it from livestock.
There must be a minimum of one bee habitat and a maximum of two bee habitats and cannot be placed side by side.
Each mound must be individually fenced from livestock, with the annual strimming of the fenced-off area around the bee habitat throughout the GLAS contract to keep shading vegetation under control. Pesticides cannot be applied to the habitat.
Once again, the location must be clearly marked on the map and must be maintained in the same position for the duration of the contract.
Remember to retain the receipts for the sand indicating the weight for the duration of the GLAS contract.
Alison Sinnott speaks to Catherine Keena and Michael White from Teagasc, and Richard Brennan, a farmer and fencing contractor from Thurles, about fencing off waterways for the third tranche of GLAS.
I’ll never be remembered for a field of cattle or wheat, but I do hope, in a time to come, I may be remembered by my trees writes Gerald Potterton.
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