Sweet success in Regent Street

Our Regent Street honeybee programme has been going since 2009, with at least one colony of bees in residence since then. By providing enough foraging for the bees and ensuring they are well cared for, we are protecting their future so they can continue to play a role in the biodiversity of this area.

Our bee-friendly eco-planter roof gardens are well stocked with aromatic herbs and flowering plants such as lavender, origanum, thyme, cat mint, sage and purple top verbena, giving the bees plenty of pollen and nectar to provide food for the colony.

While we harvest surplus honey and sell it locally, we always leave at least one super (this is a hive box that contains the frames that the bees build wax onto) to sustain the bees throughout the winter.

All of our beekeepers are trained and registered with the British Beekeepers Association and regularly attend specialist workshops so they can continue to take excellent care of our bees.

The bees themselves come from a local breeder based in Richmond-Upon-Thames who raises her own queens and colonies, so we always know they come from a responsible source.

This project is one of the ways we are supporting the Food and Environment Research Agency (FERA), 10-year Healthy Bees Plan.