Our woodlands: pilot beekeeping project success

In early 2024, a joint pilot project between the Council’s Total Environment and Climate Change teams was started to see if the Council's newly planted woodlands could be used for beekeeping. The project aimed to learn whether small scale honey production could provide a small income for woodland owners and help to boost pollinator numbers were wild bee populations were low. The project will also help improve the establishment of wildflower meadows in our new woodlands by increasing pollination and, as a result, creation of seeds to improve wildflower density. It is hoped that our wildflower areas will become more resilient as a result of these improvements.

There are lots of benefits of beekeeping to our biodiversity, especially on urban fringes, on the outskirts of our towns and city.

• Increased natural beauty – Flower pollination results in vibrant-coloured flowers, which have a positive impact on peoples’ mood and mental health.
• Habitat and biodiversity – Pollination helps maintain variety in ecosystems and habitats, supports food webs, and enhances the diversity of the living world.
• Carbon sequestration – Healthy plants are able to absorb carbon dioxide, improving the quality of air in the atmosphere.

Our wild bee population, alongside other insect populations, are in significant decline and there is ongoing research on competition by honey bees for available foraging. For this reason, careful consideration was given to site location and the amount of hives placed in each area. With three new woodland sites to utilise, two were allocated for beekeeping and one kept as a control, to use as a baseline to compare against the other sites.

Our master volunteer beekeeper, Peter Phillipart, has sensors and cameras on his hives. These produce extensive data on bee movement and periods of activity, the hive condition, and helps monitor population pressures on our wild pollinators.

It’s fantastic to see early successes on this project, which has potential to not only support biodiversity but also research a potential new agroforestry business for landowners across the borough.

A huge debt of gratitude to the work of local beekeepers in helping this project become a reality. Equally it highlights the close partnership between the Council’s Total Environment and Climate Change Teams, and how together we can deliver enhancement and benefits to west Cheshire’s natural capital, which will help improve the sustainability of our communities.

Find out more about the borough’s response to the Climate and Nature Crisis by reading our Climate Emergency Response Plan - https://www.westcheshireclimateplan.co.uk/