Six Cork towns buzzing with bee-friendly pollinator plans

It's going to be the 'Bee's Knees' in terms of providing an ecological lifeline to one of the most important insects on the planet and will come with the added bonus of brightening up six towns in Co Cork.

Carrigaline, Kinsale, Bantry, Macroom, Kanturk and Fermoy are set to become more bee-friendly with the roll-out of Cork County Council’s new 'Pollinator Plans'. These plans guide the council’s management of publicly owned spaces within the towns, to ensure bees and other insects that helpfully pollinate our flowering plants, are encouraged and supported.

Pollinator Plans for the towns will see existing habitats of high value for pollinators identified and protected; the variety and extent of flowering plants available to pollinators increased, with less intensive approaches to management of grass cutting in our parks, roadside verges and other green spaces; new pollinator friendly planting proposals; and the creation of new nesting habitat for pollinators.

The plans are being led by a consultant ecologist and are inspired by the success of the first Town Pollinator Plan in the county, prepared by Cork County Council for Midleton in 2019.

Funded by the National Biodiversity Action Plan fund and Cork County Council, and in collaboration with community groups in each of the six towns, pollinator-friendly strategies will be developed in accordance with All-Ireland Pollinator Plan Guidelines.

Mayor of the County of Cork, Independent councillor Mary Linehan-Foley, welcomed the initiative and pointed out the Midleton pilot project had become a great success with some surprising results like the appearance of rare orchids.

“I’m delighted to see that six more Cork towns are to follow suit. Sadly, the populations of many of our pollinator species are declining, with about one third of our native bee species threatened with extinction. We all know the importance of bees to food production. This is a timely mitigation from Cork County Council and will be a boost of beauty to each town. I look forward to seeing all the bright pollinator plants blooming in these towns come Spring,” Ms Linehan-Foley said.

Council chief executive Tim Lucey said the local authority is identifying and implementing new strategies for the management of public spaces in our towns, to promote biodiversity and provide food and habitats for our wild pollinator species, “which are an essential component of a healthy environment.”