The Garden in Full Bloom

Barnes 1 Barnes 2

Our garden is more or less at it peak at the moment, spilling over with bluebells and sweet cicely, and with all sorts of plants and vines filling the air with perfume – particularly something that has scrambled up the eucalyptus from a neighbour’s garden. A fair number of bees around, particularly various types of bumblebee, but the fate of bees internationally is a growing concern. Their contribution to agriculture is part of the evolving ecosystem services space, something we cover in our latest report, The Biosphere Economy. Many years ago, I wanted to keep bees, even had a pair of hives and a honey extractor inherited from an uncle of Kerry Effingham’s, but life intervened. Apparently there’s a new type of hive, much simpler, which has had me musing again.