'Bee Squared' Project in Higham Ferrers is helping solitary bees to refuel, improving the town's biodiversity

Bees are on the mind of Higham Ferrers Town Council as it is set to launch its ‘Bee Squared’ project to help boost the town’s biodiversity.

The town council is asking for the help of local primary school pupils by giving them a cornflower mixture pack that includes corncockle, cornflower, corn chamomile, corn marigold and common poppy seeds, with instructions on how to sow them in late March.

Once the seeds have flourished solitary bees will be able to refuel in the gardens of Higham Ferrers, contributing to the town’s biodiversity and beauty.

Cllr Gerald Kelly, vice chair of the Town Council’s environment and recreation committee said: “The ‘Bee Squared’ project is one of many projects that the town council is developing to maintain and enhance biodiversity and green spaces so that all can enjoy them, whether they are a resident or a visitor to our lovely town.”

They added: "Higham Ferrers has some wonderful green spaces that are well used by residents of the town and by visitors and wildlife. So, it is great news that the Primary Schools: Higham Ferrers Junior School, Henry Chichele School and Higham Ferrers Nursery and Infant School are so eager to be involved in the Town Council’s “Bee Squared Project” to specifically help solitary bees survive by encouraging all pupils to add a square metre of bee loving plants to their gardens."

There are 267 different species and variants of bees in Great Britain alone, but around 90 per cent of them are solitary and don’t live in colonies. Such variants are unable to carry as much pollen, and ‘Bee Squared’ is hoping to help them to refuel more often as a result. Many of them create their homes in flora like hollow plant stems or dead wood.

The Northants Telegraph recently ran a story about the charming critters, as Josh Widdicombe and Nish Kumar reported on a curious case of bees in a Mawsley chimney for Sky series Hold the Front Page.

In that scenario the bees were a nuisance, but in Higham Ferrers they are an asset that need to be(e) preserved!