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We're committed to helping bees and other pollinating insects, so in February and March this year we sent out a packet of specially selected wildflower and Ancient grass seeds with every product order from our UK office.
Find out moreWhat we did
Here at AquaSource we are committed to helping bees and other pollinating insects, so in February and March this year we sent out a packet of specially selected wildflower and Ancient grass seeds with every UK order, and we held a planting weekend on Saturday 19th and Sunday 20th March.
We all shared our photos and video here and you all got involved on our Facebook group AquaSource Distributors UK & EU.
Also, the team from the UK office and our families visited a local Honey Farm to spend a wonderful day learning all about Bees.
Why Bees?
This project is not just about bees but all pollinating insects. These crucial insects are at serious risk. So, why do we need to take action?
Our bees, butterflies and hoverflies have suffered badly over the last fifty or so years, due to changes in land use as a result of modern farming methods, urban spread and new transport links. Over 97% (an area the size of Wales) of all flower-rich grasslands have been lost in England since the 1930s, (and this is mirrored in other parts of Britain) reducing pollen and nectar sources and leading to a serious decline in the wildlife depending on wildflower-rich habitat.
Did you know that AquaSource AloeFresh contains 12 plant ingredients which all depend on pollination by insects.
Get InvolvedSeed watch
Lots of you got involved with our Seed Watch weekend by sending us photos and videos of how your seeds are growing.
You can find highlights from the weekend here on our Facebook group, as well as our live video.
What's next? Don't miss our Insect Watch weekend.
How to sow your seeds
If you missed out on receiving your seeds from us in March why not buy a packet now, it’s not too late to plant them. Wild flower and Bee Friendly seeds are widely available in Garden Centre’s and online, here are our tips on how to sow them:
Prepare the ground by clearing the existing plants and grass. It’s particularly important to remove vigorous perennial weeds such as stinging nettles, docks and couch grass. In wildlife areas this is best done by hand.
Dig the soil over and firm it well before taking to create a level seed bed. Don’t incorporate any fertilisers or manure as this encourages grass growth which crowds out the wild flowers.
If your soil is very fertile and you’d like to grow a perennial wild flower meadow you can try stripping away the top 5-10cm (2-4”) of soil to reduce fertility.
Sow the seeds at 1 pack (5g) per square metre.
Rake the area lightly after sowing and cover with netting to protect from birds and cats. Ensure the soil is kept moist during hot, dry periods for the best germination.
How to share your photos
1. Capture the moment
Be sure to take photos or videos of you getting hands on planting your seeds, and hopefully you'll have some volunteers to help you! You are doing amazing work, and we can't wait to see it.
2. Upload your photos
To ensure your photos remain in the highest quality, please upload them to a file sharing service such as WeTransfer or pCloud. These services are free to use and will generate a link for you to share with us.
3. Send us your photos
The final step is to complete the short form below, importantly including a link to your photos. Please do not send us your photos via any other method, as we may not be able to include them in a future video we are planning to create.
WeTransfer (free)
WeTransfer allows you to upload files of up to 2 GB (2,000 MB) for free and then send them securely with a quick link which you can provide to us.
pCloud (free)
pCloud's file sharing allows you to upload and send files of up to 5 GB (5,000 MB) for free and then generate a link which you can provide to us.
Insect Watch
Later this summer, once your seeds have grown and are flowering you should see lots of insects and pollinators busy on the plants.
We will be holding our ‘Insect Watch’ weekend on the 9th and 10th July – look out for more information on how you can join in on our Facebook group.
Thank you for ‘Beeing the Change with AquaSource’.