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Today we celebrate World Bee Day – 20th May 2019 
Did You Know?
- Irish Bumblebee populations are in decline.
- One third of our 99 bee species are threatened with extinction from Ireland. This is because we have drastically reduced the amount of food (flowers) and safe nesting sites in our landscapes.
- In response this decline and threat of extinction, the National Biodiversity Data Centre coordinated the implementation of the an All Ireland Pollinator Plan( 2015-2020) along with 68 other government and non-government organisations as partners to support the plan.
The All-Ireland Pollinator Plan is about all of us, from farmers to local authorities, to schools, gardeners and businesses, coming together to try to create an Ireland where pollinators can survive and thrive.
Here at Gortskehy, we are committed to playing our part and making our school bee-friendly.
The middle room studied the Junior Pollinator Plan with their teacher, Ms. Thomas. They learnt all about bees and their important role as pollinators. They also learnt about the life cycle of the bumble bee & what we can do to help our bees survive and thrive.
Our school Pollinator & Green School Teams drew maps of the current school grounds. This was done to identify areas where we can take action to help pollinators. Lots of good ideas that we hope to put into action were noted by our pupils on the walkabout:
- Plant bee-friendly plants in our garden beds
- Leave narrow strips around our pitch for wildflowers
- Mow our lawn/pitch less frequently – to allow dandelions and clover to grow – food sources for our bees.
- Reduce pesticides – only use it for clearing slippery areas/paths. Only weed by hand.
- Plant a herb bed – they are an excellent source of food for pollinators
These maps will be updated to include all the pollinator areas we will develop around our school. We will monitor and report on bee activity and update our plans annually.
Here are some photos of our pupils planting bee-friendly plants, flowers and herbs in our new Sensory & Biodiversity garden.
For more information on what you can do to help the bees – please visit http://pollinators.ie/
