Personal pledge
Capital Bee is asking people to take action to help London’s bees.
You can pledge to:
Plant bee-friendly plants
Bees need to eat two things from your garden: pollen and nectar. Filling your garden (or window box) with native plants such as honeysuckle or lavender, or allowing ‘weeds’ to grow in some places will create a local and seasonal diet for bees.
Grow your own food
Plant your own fruit and vegetables to attract foraging bees. While you benefit by growing your own food, you will also provide the pollen and nectar bees need. If you want to grow food as a community, you can sign-up for help from Capital Growth.
Grow organically
Use only organic, non-toxic pesticides in your garden or use natural alternatives to pesticides such as companion plants, simple soap sprays, or manual techniques. If you have to use synthetic chemicals, do so sparingly, and make sure you the read labels carefully. A list of garden pesticides and those containing the most harmful ingredients to bee is available from Pesticide Action Network (PAN) UK. And check out the Garden Organic website for more hints and tips on growing organically.
Buy something organic
Organic farming creates a healthy biodiverse environment for honey bees – it improves their health and the quality of the food crops that they pollinate. Try to buy organic produce where possible, especially if it is produced locally or in the UK.
