A Derbyshire firm which specialises in the manufacture and supply of commercial explosives has launched a push to protect bees.
With many species of UK bee on the brink of extinction, EPC-UK, which is based in Alfreton, has launched its own ‘pollinator protection plan’ by assigning plots of company land to keep and support bees.
Earlier this year, the firm’s land was assessed for flower species to see if it would be suitable for bee colonies.
The assessment was successful. However, following the release last month of the ‘Bees Under Siege’ report by WWF, EPC-UK has decided to step up its activities.
The report found that from the analysis of 228 species of bee, climate change, habitat loss, pollution and disease were threatening the pollinators.
It revealed that 17 species were regionally extinct – including the Great Yellow Bumblebee, the Potter Flower Bee and the Cliff Mason Bee – and that a further 25 species were under threat.
Jackie Sowter, EPC-UK’s business standards co-ordinator and environmental advisor, said: “The alarming warnings of biodiversity loss is a great concern to EPC-UK.
“Humanity cannot continue to exist successfully or healthily without pollinating insects.
“While last year, the European Union agreed to ban neonicotinoids, the world’s most widely used insecticides, from all fields because they were killing bees, more still needs to be done to encourage these vital pollinators to thrive.
“As bees’ pollinating services are worth £690 million a year to the UK economy, businesses need to be aware of the impact the declining bee population will have on their operations.
“However, there are opportunities for corporate organisations to address the situation.”
The firm has now installed beehives at its Rough Close Works site, with the support of beehive adoption, management and educational service organisation, Plan Bee.
Jackie said: “We’re working with Plan Bee to make an appropriate area of our Rough Close Works site in Alfreton a bee nursery.
“We’ll have in the region of ten hives to begin with, each with the capacity to house 50,000 to 60,000 bees, depending on the season.
“In addition to encouraging bee population growth, the Plan Bee team will also conduct educational sessions where groups of up to 30 people can be shown the hives in action and learn more about the significance of the bees’ work.
“We hope that as we monitor the bees’ progress over coming weeks, we’ll soon be in a position to report good news updates from the hive!”
