A city could become the latest in the UK to debut “bee bus stops” that aim to boost biodiversity in urban areas.
Peterborough City Council said 34 bus stops could include Living Roofs - mini-gardens planted on top of bus shelters made up of wildflowers and other vegetation.
The initiative was included in its new plan for the city’s bus stops, which will also see “comfortable seating” replace existing perch seats, according to a report by the authority.
It’s a nice idea but, won’t this annoy people who are using the bus stop and there’s bees everywhere?
Do you find that you are annoyed by bees when sitting in a garden? I have seldom found it a problem myself.
I mean sometimes? I’m never sure if it’s a wasp or a bee unless it’s obviously a bumblebee, but it still makes me slightly anxious that I could get stung.
Its a couple of flowers, not a bee hive!
Biggest problem is keeping it alive in the uks rainless 40C summers
Could make a shelter for on top so it’s not directly exposed to sunlight, keeps the rain out, and make the homeless rationally angry that insects are being provided with shelter and not them
This is probably made for the lonely bees not the ones that make hives, still not sure how well it’ll go with the amount of pollution in cities, also how will the ground dry? Will it just become a puddle of mud?
Unless they make it really thick, it will swing between “puddle of mud” and “Sahara” within minutes of the first ray of sun
Doesn’t this just add another layer of complexity if they decide to move the bus stop, or need repairs?
You’ve then got the added issue of what you do with the Bees if you do have to de-com the bus stop and the fact that they’re used to the surroundings they have.
I guarantee that some animal welfare group will kick off about it.
Set some ground rules in from the get go about Bus Stop bees.
Bees find new sources of nectar all the time. Flowers on this will come and go just like they do everywhere else and the bees will adapt to the changes. But, cumulatively, these would boost the available sources of nectar for them.
This is a variation on the B-Lines project that has been running for some years now, and has been very successful.
Never heard of the B-line project and it’s good! Did they consider expanding it for larger animals?
Who moves bus stops regularly?
Councils often do it, either by creating new Bike routes, planned roadworks or because they feel the Stop is better in another equally problematic place…or maybe just to spend council money.
My point is, they do get moved.
It’s about having provisions in place for if that does happen and the bees provide ammunition for some counter claim to not move it.
Just so long as the money doesn’t go to them poors
Good. They work. We have them on some of our bus shelters and even the local bus station has vertical garden things up the side. They’re full of bees in the spring and summer.
P’boro? It’ll last 5 mins before someone sets fire to it.
