Getting busy to help save bees

GARDENS and city parks are set to become a hive of activity thanks to a new initiative to boost biodiversity and tempt bees back to the Capital.

Community groups and gardeners will be able to apply for grants under the new scheme.

The Edinburgh and Lothians Greenspace Trust is behind the initiative to boost the variety of plants, trees and wildlife across the city. The move follows a motion by Green Lothians MSP Robin Harper calling on councils to address this issue by opening up more land for allotment development.

It is believed that about 28 per cent of Scotland's honeybees and bumble bees have disappeared over the last year.

Katriona Holding, of the trust, said it had established the grants to coincide with the International Year of Biodiversity. The trust will give grants of 50 to 150 to individuals or groups who want to improve their local area.

She said: "Bees are having a hard time at the moment. Wild bees are decreasing and there is a lack of people keeping them. They need a variety of different plants to pollinate, as it helps them build up their immune systems."

She said the trust was also keen to encourage other projects such as installing bat boxes, bird feeders or creating a wetland. It has made the grant application as simple as possible, but asks groups to match the grant with their own fundraising. It is also appealing to local businesses to help support the project.

Liz Stewart, the trust's fundraising manager, said: "It is easy to get a small grant to make small changes. By simply planting some native apple trees, sowing some wild flowers or put up some bee houses, we can boost their immune systems and their numbers."

Nigel Hurst, president of the Midlothian Bee Society, welcomed the project, adding: "It's important to encourage people to make their gardens as bee-friendly as possible."