Most of us are aware by now of the national campaign that is ongoing regarding the plight of our bee population and of our pollinating insects.

The ALL-Ireland Pollinator Plan was set up to make us aware of the fact that bees and insects are in decline and to help ways to try and reverse this trend. Bees are declining in Ireland for two main reasons. The first and most important reason is habitat loss. The declining habitat of most importance to bees is flower rich grassland. The second reason is fragmentation of the habitats that remain.

The All-Ireland Pollinator Plan is aimed at many different sectors such as schools, gardens, community groups, local authorities, farmers and businesses. Many in the business community have already signed up as ‘Business Supporters’ of the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan. Reading down through the list of over 160 business groups, it is encouraging to see some golf clubs, parks and gardens on it. Regrettably though, there are very few farm, sportsturf and domestic garden machinery dealers listed. This is a pity as I feel this particlular business sector can lead the way in helping to increase the numbers of our pollinators.

For example, dealers can, and should, encourage their customers to mow less often. Reducing the frequency of mowing allows wildflowers to flower among the longer grass... without spending money on wildflower seed! This is not always practical in certain cases such as sportspitches and golf courses where playing surfaces need to be maintained at a high standard. However, non playing areas on golf courses can be left grow wild and mown only once or twice a year or perhaps the perimeter of football pitches can have designated wild flower areas.

Dealers can put the case to their customers that by mowing less often, not only encourages bees and insects but it will also save on fuel costs and use, especially fossil fuels.

Dealers can also encourage their clients to get involved in establishing wild flower areas, either in their garden or in an area of the community. Displaying some leaflets on how to create a wild flower meadow in your showroom would be a good starting point. You can even have some of the mowers on show that would be suited to maintaining wild flower areas.

The sale of lawn mowers should not be affected by reduced mowing. After all, if one decides to mow one’s garden 13 times a year instead of 26, one still needs to have a lawn mower at hand to do the task.

There are specialized mowers on the market, such as the Honda UM161EB pedestrian mower or the larger Amazon Profihopper flail mower that can be used for cutting long grass. These type mowers are ideal for maintaining wild flower meadows where the vegetation is encouraged to grow tall and allowed to seed, thus encouraging bees and other pollinating insects to thrive. In these situations mowing is usually carried out in Spring and Autumn so these types of mowers are well up to the task of handling the long grass.

Another way that dealers, especially those who sell agricultural implements, can support pollinating bees is to advise farmers and contractors involved in hedgecutting to correctly time the flailing of our hedgerows. Not only will this encourage our bee population but it will also safeguard bird’s nesting sites using our hedgerows to rear their young. Hedgerows provide the four essential needs of pollinators: Source of pollen; places to breed; places to overwinter; act as corridors and pathways to travel across the landscape.

If you haven’t already done so, I would encourage you and your business to sign up to the ‘Business Supporters’ of the All Ireland Pollinator Plan. It is a very simple four stage process. Another advantage of signing up is that your business will be listed on the All Ireland Pollinator Plan website. This will show to the world that you and your business cares for and are interested in protecting our environment. Visit https://pollinators.ie for more information.

Try to bee friendly!!