Bee kind to hedgerows and swarms

A NUMBER of readers have been in contact regarding two related and timely issues — the plight of bees and the illegal destruction of hedgerows.

The situation facing bees globally continues to be well documented and Ireland is, of course, affected by the stock decimation. We once had about 18 species, that’s now down to three, according to studies, with loss of habitat being among the main reasons.

However, wild swarms can still be seen here from late April to the end of June. They normally emerge on warm days and settle for, perhaps, a few days before moving off. A swarm could settle anywhere.

It is understandable people might be fearful and might even kill them with fly spray or some other substance. However, beekeepers tell us that if they were informed of the locations of such swarms they would, if possible, collect them and use them.

People in the Cork area that come on such situations are asked to contact the “swarm catching number’’, 086-3232777, for a beekeeper to come around to collect the bees.

And now to hedgerow cutting. What is it about this time of the year? Some people appear compelled to severely cut back, or even remove entirely, growth on ditches and fields. This new vegetation has just sprung forth and offers essential protection to many forms of wildlife, as well as bringing beauty to the countryside. Hedge cutting typically starts in spring and continues well into the summer months but, unless for reasons of health and safety, this practice is banned by the Wildlife Act from Mar 1 to Aug 31. A reader has reported recent cutting in the Cork/Limerick border area, which clearly upset him.

Birds and mammals are bringing forth their young and any interference with their natural habitat can have devastating consequences. Hedgerows are essential in providing habitats and corridors for maintaining wildlife diversity. As well as being reserves for much of our wildlife, they are important in providing pollinators, cleaning the air, defining our landscape, storing carbon and, by holding back the flow of water off land, they can alleviate flooding.

But much of this habitat has been obliterated in recent decades due to land reclamation, changes in farming, construction and road development.

Hedgerows were planted by landowners to enclose their land, mostly from the mid-1700s to the mid-1800s. They have come to provide a home for nature, which gives them a value that was not initially intended and makes them an important part of our heritage.