Co op helps fund fight to save bees

Tuesday 17 July 2018

The Channel Islands Co-operative Society has pledged to donate half of the total cost needed for new technology to help preserve the local bee population by tracking Asian hornets.

The Guernsey Beekeepers’ Association is crowd funding to purchase the "vital equipment" as more and more of the insects and their nests are spotted locally.

The specialist equipment will be used by members of the Guernsey Beekeepers’ Association to combat the "intrusion of Asian hornets by locating their nests and reducing the ability for the invasive species to thrive in the island."

The equipment, which has previously been used in Jersey, costs a total of £3,100 and it uses a tracking system that allows beekeepers to ‘tag’ hornets. Nests can then be located, monitored and dealt with before any threats take hold.

Pictured: File image of an Asian hornet which are currently being tracked across the Channel Islands

Asian hornets are known for targeting and killing native honeybees, which are essential to the local environment.  

The Channel Islands Co-operative Society’s Chief Executive Officer, Colin Macleod, hopes the Society’s donation will inspire the States of Guernsey and the local community to get involved and work together in preserving the island’s natural environment.

"Bees are vital to Guernsey’s ecosystem. Their role goes far beyond making honey. They are the primary pollinator for many plants and as such their importance cannot be overstated," he said.

"If Asian hornets become established in Guernsey, they will be a major threat to the bee population and to the wider environment. As a local organisation owned by tens of thousands of islanders, I am sure our members will welcome the Co-op’s donation to help protect Guernsey’s bees. I hope others will now step forward to meet the rest of the cost for this important project."

Damian Harris, island bee inspector and president of the Guernsey Beekeepers’ Association, said they are delighted with the donation from the Co-op.

"It’s important we don’t underestimate the value bees have on our natural environment and I hope islanders will come together as a community to help preserve Guernsey’s bees. It’s great to see the Co-op leading the way by making such a generous donation to this vital equipment."