Meet the Bees

After 15 years of hosting hives, Eden has taken a break from farming honey bees in 2024 to focus on the protection of wild bees. Amazingly, there are about 280 species of bees in the UK, of which the honeybee is just one. When we hear about bees being endangered, it’s not the honeybees they’re talking about, it’s the wild and solitary bees and other insects that are crucial to our biodiversity. We have identified 33 (and counting) species of bees in ENG.  Scroll down to see a short-list and photos of Eden's bees. 

Eden is a wonderful example of urban ecology, providing a balance between wild and cultivated plants and creating habitats for wild and solitary bees. Seventy to eighty percent of bees nest in the ground and it’s these that we are particularly trying to help by creating genuinely effective habitats in the form of sand mounds. We recently acquired a few tonnes of unwanted sand which you’ll see placed around the garden. We also salvaged some concrete blocks and have filled them with cob walling, hollow sticks and dead wood which will create nesting and breeding sites. We’re making it look attractive too with bee posts and leaf towers and as many flowers as we can grow, of course!