Bees are amazing creatures – their soothing drone and lack of aggression endears them to many people. Visit our interactive bee display and find out what goes on inside a beehive and the skills involved in managing bee colonies. Bees are in decline across the world and in the Gardens we have an apiary as part of conservation efforts to increase numbers of the Honey Bee.

As pollinators of flowers and food crops, bees are a vital part of gardens and allotments. All feed on pollen and nectar and any bee foraging for food becomes covered in a dusting of pollen grains. These are transported back to the hive for the larvae to feed on but some will also be carried to other plants, helping to pollinate them.

We go out of our way to ensure that our Gardens are as attractive to bees as possible. We have a wide variety of plants that provide pollen and nectar over a long period; the wildflowers such as foxgloves and bluebells are particularly important and our selection of trees also provides valuable forage.