Trinity College Dublin’s plan 'bee' causes a buzz on campus
The ‘Name Our Queen Bee’ competition was launched yesterday in tandem with Trinity’s Campus Pollinator Plan, which supports the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan’s (AIPP) main objectives by making Trinity pollinator-friendly and raising awareness about pollinators.
The Trinity Campus Pollinator Plan will, along with a network of other green areas in Dublin, help restore urban sites that are important for a range of bee species in the centre of Dublin.
Among the CPP’s plans are the identification and protection of pollinator-friendly areas; the planting of suitable plants to support pollinators; the addition of ‘bee hotels’ for solitary bees, and protection of sites for ground-nesting bees.
Jane Stout, professor in botany at Trinity, led the development of the AIPP and the CPP.
She said: “As well as further strengthening Trinity’s research capability by allowing us to study our urban bees and consider the factors influencing pollinator-plant interactions and population changes, the Campus Pollinator Plan and our bees will support Trinity’s sustainability ideals.
“Similar actions are being undertaken across various sectors — by community groups, local authorities, businesses, farmers, and across transport networks, for example.
"By working together we can collectively take steps to reverse pollinator declines in Ireland, and restore healthy populations that contribute to our economy, wealth, health, and well-being, and which support other wildlife in the wider landscape.”
The organisers point out that pollinators are important in Ireland, not just for agricultural production of crops such as apples, strawberries, and oilseed rape, but also for the majority of wild plants, which create the wild habitats for which Ireland is famous. There have been global declines in many species of bees and important knock-on consequences for pollination services in recent years.
The idea to run the competition was inspired by a similar one organised by the KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden.
Susie Bioletti, keeper of Trinity’s bees, said: “A major goal of both the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan and Trinity’s Campus Pollinator Plan is to raise awareness around pollinators and their value to society and to Ireland’s ecosystems.
"We hope that by asking the public to name our queen via this competition we will open eyes and minds and encourage even greater engagement in the pursuit of supporting our pollinators.”
A panel comprising Trinity Provost Patrick Prendergast, botany researchers, beekeepers, and students will choose a winning name. A jar of the first harvested honey and a copy of The Bee Book will be reserved for the winner.
The launch of the CPP forms part of a series of events for Trinity Week 2017.
The All-Ireland Pollinator Plan (2015-2020) lists 81 actions to be undertaken by 68 public and private bodies to support pollinators. It has already received widespread support from government and non-government organisations, and from the public.
Anyone wishing to enter the competition can tweet their suggested names to @tcddublin making sure they include the hashtag #TrinityQueen. It can also be done via Facebook.
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