Honey bees like the buzz around Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh
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THERE is always generally a buzz of some sort around the Scottish Parliament – regardless of your politics!
However, the literal buzz at Holyrood is bigger than ever.
That's because the Parliament's resident population of honey bees has grown to more than one million.
The number of beehives on site has also grown, increasing from 11 last year to 15.
The beehives were first installed in the members’ garden in 2014.
During the summer months, the bee population in Holyrood’s grounds rises to in excess of a million bees, falling back to a third of that figure through winter.
Alison Johnstone MSP, Presiding Officer, said: “As a Parliament we are keen to do everything we can to ensure that the future is a sustainable one for all of us.
“We’ve had these bees with us since 2014 and they’re very much part and parcel of our grounds.
“They play a really important role in highlighting all organisations and institutions should do their bit when it comes to promoting biodiversity, tackling climate change and looking at how we produce our food.”
Stuart Hood, beekeeper and owner of Hoods Honey, who looks after the beehives, said: “This is our ninth year having beehives on site in the Scottish Parliament. In that time we’ve gone from four hives up to 15 now.
“The bees love being based here and thrive in this environment, and I’m proud to say all of the hives on site have been bred here and so are a unique strain to the Scottish Parliament.”
The bees normally forage for pollen and nectar up to two miles away.
In the height of summer each hive will have between 65,000 and 70,000 bees.
On a daily basis, one hive’s combined flight distance for all the flying bees will equate to flying from the Earth to the Moon.
They fly at an average speed of 17mph when flying to plants and 12mph coming back fully laden with their goods.
The beeswax, which is a by-product of beekeeping, is used to fill the Great Seal of Scotland and seal acts of the Scottish Parliament.
As the world’s most important pollinator of food crops, it is estimated that one third of the food that we consume each day relies on pollination, mainly by bees, but also from other insects, birds, and bats.
Moray MSP Richard Lochhead is able to see the hives from the parliament buiilding.
He said: "When the Scottish Parliament was built the design focussed on its relationship with the natural environment and it was a great idea to then install bee hives that have thrived ever since.
"Often when looking out the window from higher floors you can see the bee hives below as well as the gardens and it’s heartening to think that such a simple step can support biodiversity as well as producing locally sourced honey to be sold to visitors in the Parliament’s shop.
"There is also a link with Scotland’s history given that beeswax has been used for the Great Seal of Scotland and to seal every act of the Scottish Parliament. ”
Highlands and Islands MSP Douglas Ross is also a fan of the bees.
He added: “It is wonderful that this skill is being passed down through the generations among this family and I look forward to Parliament returning to see the bees once again.”
