Today, 5th March, the Scottish Parliament’s Presiding Officer, Tricia Marwick, oversees the arrival of some instruments of stinging criticism – and, unusually, these ones are welcome.
Two bee hives – installed by Kelvin Valley Honey and to be managed and maintained by the company at no cost to the Scottish Parliament. The hives will be home to Scottish honey bees arriving later in the year.
The bees will put the Scottish Parliament one up among the other administrations in the UK as the first to have beehives in support of the honey bee population.
Tricia Marwick said: ‘It is often said that the Parliament is a place with a great buzz, well it really will be true when we welcome the new additions to Holyrood.’
It will certainly offer puns galore, with queen bees, worker bees, drones, swarms, splitting hives, smoking ‘em out…
Getting back to the serious subject, Paul Holmes, Chair of Kelvin Valley Honey, said: ‘Honey bees are responsible for the pollination of over 60% of all of Scotland’s agricultural crops, produce, fruits, flowers, trees, shrubs and plants.
‘Honey bees at the Scottish Parliament is a positive example of how grass roots community organisations such as ours and the Nation’s policy and decision makers can join together in making a real difference to an issue that ultimately affects us all.’
Kelvin Valley Honey was born from an initiative of Kilsyth Community Market Garden, a company with charitable aims owned and managed by residents of the Upper Kelvin Valley. People there had become concerned about the dramatic decline in the area’s honey bee population in recent years and the negative impact this was having on crop, wildlife and certain woodland trees pollination.
