Bees are incredibly important, there are over 20,000 species worldwide and they are the biodiversity we depend on for our survival. By pollination they contribute to our food security and about a third of the worlds food production is dependant on bees. Bee populations have been declining globally and in May 2018 the European Union banned certain insecticides because of their detrimental effect on the bee population.
The 20th of May is World Bee Day to raise awareness of the essential job of the humble bee, this date was chosen because it is the birthday of Anton Jansa from Slovenia who in the 18th Century pioneered modern beekeeping as we know it today.
Here on Windvale Farm, we help the bees by providing many different varieties of clovers/ grasses and trees that when they flower provide nectar the bees turn into honey which is their food to keep them alive in Winter when they arent many flowers avaliable. They in turn make sure the grasses/ clovers/ crops and trees on the farm all continue to reproduce/ grow and regenerate through the cross pollination that occurs when they are collecting the nectar.
In fact bees get the majority of their nectar from trees, not flowers and trees also provide the bees with shelter and wild bees make their homes in trees. We introduced bee hives on the farm several years ago and the honey we are given in return is used at the farm house and also used mixed in with the Calf milk in Springtime to keep the calves healthy and provide them with a natural source of energy and antibiotic when needed. This way the use of pharmaceutical antibiotics used for the calves is kept to a minimum. Therefore growing a healthier stronger herd from a young age.
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