CITIZEN SCIENCE

 Bare soil below a hedgerow showing numerous solitary bee cavities

A New Bank

The second option is to import the substrate (sand/soil) to a suitable spot and build from scratch. This method might suit a Tidy Towns project, a school, a farm or a housing estate nature area perhaps. The size here is not important and will be dictated by budget (if buying sand) as well as help and space available.

Choose a spot that gets the sun. If it is on grass you will want to turn the top sod to suppress the vegetation. Literally use a spade to cut the sod off the top and flip it over grass side down. If it’s an area of bare ground, you can avoid that step. Now mark out the footprint of the bee bank, a south-facing crescent shape is recommended to capture various angles to the sun. Now you need to begin to build up the core of the bee bank, the material used can be anything available, a mixture of rocks, gravel, soil, subsoil or whatever will do nicely. With the core material in-place you will have a significant crescent shape structure that now needs capping with the material where the bees will tunnel. Builder's sand is recommended here and will need to be layered to a minimum of 30cm deep, but deeper pockets are also a good idea to add variety. Sub soil could also be used here; the key thing is the material can be compacted and firmed up and is low in nutrients to reduce vegetation establishing (why we avoid using topsoil). Variation of nesting habitat will attract various bee species so finessing your bee bank by modifying slopes, the depth of capping material etc will likely result in a greater variety of occupants!

 Roadside slope with bare soil, perfect solitary bee nesting habitat

In Summary

• Choose suitable site (a sunny south-facing spot). • Clear the ground or turn sod if the vegetation is vigorous. • Build the core of the structure with available materials (rocks, soil, gravel). • Cap the structure with capping material (builders’ sand or sub soil). • Compact the capping material. • Grab a cuppa!

Maintenance

Both the semi-natural and newly built bee bank will need to be cleared of vegetation every year in late autumn to ensure bee access is retained. Do this by hand or very carefully with a tool so as not to disturb the tunnels and inhabitants. Clear vegetation around the edge to slow encroachment. Never use herbicides to suppress plant growth.

Further Reading

National Biodiversity Data Centre, How to Guide – Creating Wild Pollinator Nesting Habitat: https://www.heritageweek.ie/content/files/Pollinator-How-to-Guide-1-ALT_FINAL.pdf Juanita Browne, Gardening For Biodiversity: https://laois.ie/wp-content/uploads/GardenWildlife-Booklet-WEB-17MB.pdf Bug Life, Bee Bank Booklet: http://www.friendsofhaileypark.org.uk/uploads/1/9/5/1/1951271/ bee_bank_booklet.pdf

Boynevalley

Uisce na h-abhann L

e 10,000 bliain, tá aibhneacha na hÉireann á n-úsáid agus á mí-úsáid ag daoine.Níl amhras ar bith go bhfuil aeráid báistiúil anseo in Éireann; cureann sé báisteach, ar an meán, lá amháin as gach trí lá, agus draenann na h-uiscí sin isteach inár sruthanna, lochanna agus aibhneacha iomadúla.Ta stair an tír seo fite fuaite leis an aeráid, an bhfearthainn, agus an timpeallacht féin; ní féidir na h-ábhair seo a scaradh as a chéile!

Is iomadh cathar a bunaíodh le taobh áth abhann [agus taispeánann a n-ainmneacha an stair sin; Baile Átha Cliath, Áth Luain, Droichead Átha - mar shamplaí.]

Ach tá íoróin anseo - íoróin thragóideach stair an duine. “Each man kills the thing he loves” a scríobh an file, Oscar Wilde

Agus cé gur thóg daoine a gcathracha in aice uisce glan na n-aibhneacha, is cúis bháis sinn freisin do na sruthanna céanna.

I dtosach ar ndóigh, d’úsáid daoine na Áthanna mar shlí dul trasna - sular tógadh droichead ar bith!

D’ól siad an uisce(mar a dhéanann go fóill)agus chaitheadar amach ann séarachas agus dramhaíl. (mar a dhéanann go fóill..)

Bhi seo indéanta fad is a raibh pobal na mbailte sin beag go leor, mar tá abhain in ann iad féin a ghlanadh muna bhfuil an truailliú ró-throm; ach má cuirtear an iomarca salachar isteach iontu beidh na córais ocsaiginithe fé bhrú; tá gá leis na plandaí chun an uisce a choinneail úr, agus leis na plandaí sin tagann na inveirteabraigh, na h-éisc, agus i ndiaidh dóibh siúd, na h’éin agus na h-ainmhithe atá ar bharr an bhia-eangach. Gan amhras, tá an cruidín, an corr riasc, an dobharchú an-dathúil; ach brathann siad uilig ar cháilíocht an uisce díreach mar a bhrathan sinne.

Caithfear cúram a thabhairt dóibh má tá siad le teacht chucu féin ó na héifeachtaí is measa a bhaineann le h-idirghabháil an duine.

Go dtí le déanaí do bhí nios lú dochar in aibhneacha na h-Éireann ná in a lán áiteannna eile san Eorap; ach tá fadhbanna cáilíochta uisce ag a bhformhór acu anois, a d’fhéadfadh dul i bhfeidhm ar cháilíocht ár mbeatha agus ár ngníomhaíochtaí eacnamaíocha.

Ta leabhar tábhachtach nua foilsithe le déanaí faoi aibhneach agus molaim do gach duine é seo a léamh. https://www.ucdpress.ie/ display.asp?isbn=9781910820551& https://www.irishtimes.com/news/environment/where-are-irelands-most-polluted-rivers-and-lakes-1.4110000