It’s world bee day – and to celebrate, the Bishop of Norwich, a beekeeper himself, took to X to tweet “Happy World Bee Day!”
The Bishop’s bee hives are a feature of his beautiful garden alongside Norwich Cathedral, which he opens for local charities on selected summer Sundays between May and August.
“Beekeeping is such a joyous and fascinating thing to do,” said the Rt Rev Graham Usher, who is the Church of England’s lead bishop for the environment and regularly speaks in the House of Lords on environmental issues.
His bees forage through the garden, gathering nectar from the flowers and blossom of its glorious borders, orchard and wildflower labyrinth, and kitchen garden. Bees are hugely important pollinators for plants including many food crops and wildflowers, as well as producing honey.
But Bishop Graham warned: “There are many threats to our bees, including the rather fearsome Asian Hornet.”
The British Beekeepers Association is asking people to report any sightings of The Asian Yellow Legged Hornet, an aggressive predator which poses a significant threat to honey bees and other pollinators.
Each one might hunt and eat 30-50 honey bees a day and UK sightings are increasing. First recorded in the UK in 2016, there were 14 nests found between then and 2022 – and 72 nests found in 2023.
For more information and to report any sightings visit bbka.org.uk/asian-yellow-legged-hornet