Regular readers of our weekly warblings will already know that Rose Media Group has become a proud sponsor of a beehive in West Sussex. We’re so happy to be doing our bit for perhaps the most important of all of Mother Nature’s creatures, especially at a time when the bee population is suffering from a reduction in numbers. Now more than ever, these winged wonders need all the help they can get.
The month of May is an extremely busy time for the UK’s bee population. With the advent of warmer weather and longer days, the pollen that makes them so active is all around us. If you have a garden or even a window box, you’ll probably be all too aware of their increased activity. Our sponsored hive is in Findon, just outside Worthing, so if you’re in the area be sure to give our bees a friendly wave as they fly by.
As a general rule, queen bees can lay around 1,500 eggs per day, and in the UK May is one of their busiest months. Our queen, just like the others, will be continuously supported by her worker bees during this time, supplying her with food and even disposing of her waste. Usually, but not always, the queen will lay a single egg in each cell of the honeycomb, and she can even choose which sex they will be. Fertilised eggs are female, while the unfertilised eggs will be male.
Safety in numbers for all members of the hive
You may have noticed that sometimes bees will swarm at this time of year, usually for a short period of time. This happens when an existing colony outgrows its surroundings, and therefore some of the bees will move on to a new location. While scout bees head off in search of a suitable site, the queen will rest, often on a tree, and will be surrounded by thousands of her potential hive-mates. Once a location has been found, they will then all fly off en masse to their new home.
The reasons for outgrowing their old home are to do with expansion. May brings with it an increase in the availability of pollen as well as the manufacture of honey, and as a result the bee population will increase rapidly. In human terms, it’s a little like living in a two-bedroom for a while and then suddenly waking up to find you need a thirty-room mansion instead. No wonder we use the phrase busy bee.
Rose Media Group is the type of B2B PR agency UK businesses need right now. We work for clients across a range of industry sectors, including automotive, aviation and construction, and we’re especially proud to be supporting the nation’s bee population at this crucial time.
