I'm delighted to be working with Organic UK* for a mini-series of podcast episodes to mark Organic September - an annual month long awareness campaign by the Soil Association In collaboration with the Organic Trade Board.

We'll be diving into all things organic - what the term actually means, how we know if something is organic, AND crucially, the impact that organic food and farming has on the planet. 

We're kicking off with the brilliant episode with David and Emma Buckley from Buckleys Bees. Talking, unsurprisingly given the name of their business, about bees!

DID YOU KNOW?

• Bees and insects are essential pollinators of our food - It's estimated that it would cost UK farmers £1.8 billion a year to pollinate their crops manually if wild bees disappeared
• Bee and insect populations are crashing - every square kilometre in the UK has lost an average of 11 species of bee and hoverfly, between 1980 and 2013
• In the UK at present there are around 270,000 active honeybee hives, compared to a million in 1900
• 98% of natural wildflower meadows have been lost in the UK since the early 1900s 
• Plant, insect and bird life is 50% more abundant on organic farms

Tune in to learn more about the wonderful work of bees, why they's so vital, how organic farming can help to support them, AND how we can help them in our own gardens too.

Enjoy!

(Heads up on the sound quality - it's pretty rubbish at the start of the podcast, but improves quickly, so please do bear with!!)

* This is a paid partnership with Organic UK.

This episode was edited by Emily Crosby Media

• Organic UK
• Organic September
• Buckleys Bees
  - Website
  - Facebook
  - Instagram
  - Twitter
• Soil Association - Bee Organic article
• Soil Association article: "Why Bees are Important"
• Plant Life - "How to get 10 times more bees on your lawns"
• The Sustainable(ish) Facebook group

David and Emma inspecting some of their hives

• Plant bee friendly seeds and flowers
  
• Let your lawn and hedges flower - mow less!
• Avoid 'blended honey' and look out for UK and local honey
  
• Leave out a shallow dish filled with marbles and water for the bees to take a drink
  
• Buy organic fruit and veg if you can

Pic credit: Buckleys Bees

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