20th May marks World Bee Day, designated by the UN to raise awareness of the importance of pollinators, the threats they face and their contribution to sustainable development.
According to DEFRA: 'Bees are fundamental to food production, pollinating crops and contributing more than an estimated £500 million a year to UK farming and food. They are also vital to the wider natural environment, pollinating wildflowers and trees which then support other insects, birds and mammals. There are thousands of pollinators in the UK, but they are under threat from habitat loss, invasive species, pests and disease and climate change.’[1]
Within ESS, we’ve introduced beehives at key locations across our estate to support bee populations, enhance biodiversity and promote awareness among our colleagues, clients and customers.
We created our first apiary at Brompton Barracks, Chatham in 2020 and have since implemented projects at Gibraltar Barracks, Minley, the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom and RAF Marham.
The projects have required the close collaboration of a variety of stakeholders to identify suitable locations, undertake risk assessments and design and build the apiaries. Our team members have completed British Beekeepers Association training programmes to ensure they are suitably qualified to care for the bees.
Hear from some of our team members who oversee our beekeeping projects below:
Luke Kemp, ESS General Manager – Brompton Barracks:
“We were proud to be the first ESS site to introduce an apiary back in 2020, and our hives are now home to around 120,000 bees! The bees are a great talking point and generate interest from the whole site, including our team members and customers, as well as local schoolchildren. It’s a feel-good project that encourages people from different departments to work together, and we’ve learnt so much about the patience required to care for bees – they really are fascinating creatures! We were excited to win awards for our honey during our first year of production and again last year, and we’re hoping to expand the project by moving the apiary to a bigger location. I also have a waiting list of volunteers who would like to learn the craft of beekeeping!”
Heather Chalkley, ESS General Manager – Gibraltar Barracks:
“We’ve kept bees on site since 2021, with two hives owned by ESS and a further two by our client, Babcock. There have been some really positive outcomes from this, including team engagement, collaboration with our client and the sustainability message for our customers. It’s been a learning curve to understand the bee lifecycle, including the impact of weather and our local ecosystem – for example, the honey we produce on site is light in colour as our bees feed mainly on heather. Our teams enjoy using the honey we produce in our hospitality menu, and we sell some of the jars for charity. A highlight was gifting some of our honey to His Majesty King Charles III when he visited the site in 2024.”
Katie Leeder, ESS General Manager – RAF Marham:
“We were excited to work with our client to create an apiary at RAF Marham, as part of an area of the site preserved for nature that also includes a bird-watching shelter and pond. We currently have one hive and we’re looking to add another this season. As a team, we’ve learnt so much about the vital role bees play in our ecosystem and how we can support them to thrive. As well as enhancing our knowledge and understanding, the project has enabled some brilliant collaboration with our community – this year we’re hosting visits for local children who will dress up as bees and learn about these incredible insects. We’re delighted with our honey harvests so far and were proud to gift a jar to the His Majesty the King at Christmas!”
Janet Thomas, ESS Gardener – Defence Academy of the United Kingdom:
“I’ve always loved the thought of beekeeping. As a gardener, I have long appreciated the benefits of bees and the important role they play in pollinating our crops. Then, two years ago, we decided to keep bees on the Defence Academy garden and I started on a steep learning curve!
We now have five hives on site, and we’ve harvested numerous jars of delicious honey. While beekeeping has had me scratching my head a lot, as we’ve dealt with issues such as swarming and replacing our queens, I can honestly say it’s been one of the most fascinating and rewarding things I have done – I expect I will continue to be a beekeeper for many years to come!
If the thought of keeping bees is a little too much, I think everyone would agree that we need to do as much as possible to protect these amazing little creatures, particularly our lovely native bees. If you are a gardener, try to add as many bee-friendly plants to your garden or plot as possible, even if you only have a few pots – plants like lavender and geums (also known as avens) will really attract them. It’s also important to garden as naturally as possible, so please avoid weed killers and pesticides as there are lots of bee safe alternatives.”
