“If the bee disappeared off the surface of the globe then Man would only have 4 years of life left” – Albert Einstein.
LCF’s latest bee colony is located back on the roof terrace at the John Prince’s Street (JPS) site. Staff and students have already taken up beekeeping duties again, and set up a small planted area on the roof terrace to provide some nearby food for them. There are also bee hives at LCF’s Curtain Road and Lime Grove sites.
Sister college London College of Communication (LCC) also recently welcomed 20,000 bees. LCC’s bee hive is located in the corner of the Media Block patio (next to the photography studios). LCC’s bees have only just arrived and need a month or two to settle in and acclimatise, but are being closely looked after by Project Coordinator Luke Wolski.
Bees contribute to a third of the food we put on our tables. This astonishing figure highlights how very dependent we are on bees. But bees are dying out – and nobody really knows why. We’re doing our bit to help and promote the well-being of the fascinating insects as thousands of bees are welcomed to hives at both LCF and LCC.
Did you know…
- Honey bees communicate with each other through a dance
- A single hive can contain 45,000 bees
- Honey bees are cold-blooded insects that can regulate their own temperature
- Without bees we would fail to produce a vast amount of fruits and vegetables.
- All bees contribute £400 million to the economy
- If UAL students and staff want to find out more about the LCC hives or get involved, contact Project Coordinator Luke Wolski at lccbees@arts.ac.uk.
- If UAL students and staff are interested in getting involved with beekeeping or gardening at LCF, contact Sustainability Coordinator Rosemary Willatt at r.willatt@fashion.arts.ac.uk.
- Keep up with Rosemary Willatt, LCF’s Sustainability Coordinator on Twitter