Annual Pollinator Count
1st July 2024Pollinating London Together held their first Annual Pollinator Count on 1st July, a day dedicated to recording and observing the vital insect populations that pollinate our plants, including bees, butterflies, moths, and other pollinating insects in the City of London.
As I was going up to the city anyway that evening, I went a little early and went to Christchurch Greyfriars Church Garden, which is one of the three places where the counts were being held. The garden is in the bombed out remains of the church and is a lovely oasis in the city, full of interesting flowering plants, which naturally are of interest to pollinating insects.
Staff were on hand to help explain and guide me through the process, which is a count of all insects entering a 500mm x 500m patch of a flowering plant, in my case Cat Mint! There is a very simple app available on the phone, which allows you to simply count up each type of insect, over a 10 minute period, also noting the sunlight and weather conditions. The results are then uploaded to a central database.
Interestingly, my results of 60% of the insects being honey bees matched the current statistics, which show that there are far too many honey bees in London, many coming from hives set up on people's rooftops. Whilst admirable in principle, these hives may be causing problems for other types of insects, as the honey bee is not endangered, whilst others species are.
It was a very simple and enjoyable exercise, which the pan Livery movement is supporting, so I heartily recommend more people getting involved next year!