The following links point you to useful resources related to the world of bees.
Have a browse through them and let me know if you would like your site added or suggestions of interesting sites that we can link to. info@urbanbees.co.uk
Bee-friendly plant suppliers
Rosybee
The leading bee-friendly supplier with six-years’ worth of field study to indicate the best plants for bees. Plants come as plugs or small plants in trays of six. Rosy is very helpful.
Bee Happy Plants
Organic-certified plants and seeds. You can search by flowering month and soil type and for flowers that attract short-tongued and/or long-tongued bees.
British Wildflower plants
(very well established and helpful)
FlowerScapes
Specially created bee-friendly wild flower seed mixes by leading experts in the field
Crocus
Huge selection from this pioneer of online plant shopping with its excellent website; helpful plants-by-month guide, design combinations and bee-friendly plants are clearly marked. I litre/2 litre and larger plants available. Excellent delivery service.
UK beekeeping associations
Find your local beekeeping association through the British Beekeepers Assocation (BBKA), many of whom will provide training courses
London's independent trainer beekeepers
Celia and Dave Rudland at East Surrey Bees
Barnaby at BeeUrban
Steve Benbow at The London Honey Company
Luke at Urbanbeekeeping
DEFRA’s Bee Unit
BeeBase - National Bee Unit's website
UK Beekeeping equipment suppliers
Thorne
National Bee Supplies
Omlet – makers of the plastic Beehaus
UK Wild bee equipment suppliers
CJ Wildlife – supply bee hotels and tubes that solitary cavity nesting bees such as red mason and leafcutter bees will check-into and lay their eggs
Nurturing Nature - George Pilkington has created the award-winning Nurturing Nature Bumblebee Nest Box and Solitary Bee Observation Nest Box. The latter, with its glass panel gives a fascinating insight into the life cycle of the different solitary bees using the nest box.
Pollen Guide
Bristol BKA’s brilliant pollen guide shows you which flowers your bees are foraging on according to the colour of the pollen on their hind legs or the underside of their abdomen.
Bee Conservation Charities
Bumblebee Conservation Trust
All you ever need to know about bumblebees and how to identify them and help them. They are also involved in habitat creation and restoration.
Buglife
Brilliant habitat creation and restoration for pollinators, including bees, and other insects.
Wildlife Trusts
Your local Wildlife Trust will restore, run and manage nature reserves with the help of local volunteers for the benefit of wildlife, including bees.
ID resources
Bumblebee Conservation Trust website and pocket guides
Field Studies Council pull-out, easy to carry, laminated guide to some of the most common bees in Britain.
Insectinside: life in the bushes of a small Peckham park, contains wonderful photos of the bees Penny Metal photographed over a six year period in her local park, as well as hundreds of other fascinating insects.
Field Guide to the Bees of Great Britain and Ireland. The definitive guide packed full of photos and info by Steven Falk, and illustrated by Richard Lewington.
Magazines
Beecraft is a very accessible monthly magazine written for beekeepers at all levels of experience. Highly recommended for new beekeepers.
The Beekeepers Quarterly, published by Northern Bee Books, with reports from academics and expert beekeepers from all over the world.
The fabulous monthly British Wildlife magazine often includes interesting new research on wild bees. Published by NHBS, which started life as the Natural History Book Service.
BQ Bees and Pollinators Quarterly is a new glossy magazine that aims to introduce the layman and woman to the wonders of pollinators. Available in some shops and through subscription.
Podcasts
Beekeeping today
Kim Flottam, the highly respected former editor of US magazine, Bee Culture, brings you the latest beekeeping news, information and entertainment.
Queen Bees
Bees, honey and a good giggle each week with the very entertaining Ab Fab actress Jane Horrocks and her best friend and beekeeper Esther Coles from the hives on Esther’s north London allotment.
Books
Gardening for Bumblebees: A practical Guide to Creating a Paradise for Pollinators. Dave Goulson, professor of biology at the University of Sussex and best- selling author of A Sting in the Tail, draws on his own gardening experiences to help you make a green space buzz with wild bees, the solitary kind too.
Pollinators and Pollination: Nature and Society. As a scientist and educator for over 30 years, Jeff Ollerton mixes academic study, personal anecdote and observation in this exploration of the relationship between plants and pollinators in a rapidly changing world.
Dancing with Bees Brigit Strawbridge Howard takes you on her delightful journey to rediscover nature through bees.
Solitary Bees Naturalists’ Handbook. A practical guide to watching and studying solitary bees from Ted Benson, emeritus professor of sociology at the University of Essex, and highly respected field naturalist.
The Buzz about Bees: Biology of a Superorganism. World-leading scientist, Jurgen Tautz’s definitive guide to honeybees as a superorganism.
