We have been buzzing at Westlands Farm… literally! We have been welcoming thousands of new tiny workers to help with our strawberry crop – Bumble Bees!
British Bumble Bees have arrived at Westlands Farm and have been brought in to pollinate the tens of thousands of strawberry flowers which should be ready to harvest in April.
Once the Bees have finished their work, they disperse into the wild to bolster the local bee population.
Strawberries and raspberries are grown in our on-farm glasshouses and Polytunnels so we are able to grow fruit for a longer season meaning customers can enjoy fresh local berries for nearly nine months of the year.
Last week we met with ITV News Meridian who chatted to Graham about the bees and our 180,000 strawberry plants.
Farmer Graham Collett, said: “As we are bringing forward the strawberry season there are not enough Bumble Bees in the wild to pollinate the number of plants we are growing.
“Therefore over the next few weeks we will introduce thousands of bees into the glasshouses to help the process along. In total about 20,000 bees will work with us at Westlands Farm before being released into the Hampshire countryside.”
If you have any questions about how we used bumble bees on the farm, please get in touch here.
