Holyrood Hives: Parliament’s bee population swarms to over a million

The Scottish Parliament’s burgeoning bee population has grown to over one million bees.

As the population continues to thrive, the number of beehives onsite has also grown, increasing from 11 last year to 15.

The beehives were first installed in the Members’ Garden of the Scottish Parliament in 2014.

During the summer months, the bee population in Holyrood’s grounds rises to in excess of a million bees, falling back to a third of that figure through winter.

The Rt Hon. Alison Johnstone MSP, Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament said: “As a Parliament we are keen to do everything we can to ensure that the future is a sustainable one for all of us.

“We’ve had these bees with us since 2014 and they’re very much part and parcel of our grounds.

“They play a really important role in highlighting all organisations and institutions should do their bit when it comes to promoting biodiversity, tackling climate change and looking at how we produce our food.”

Stuart Hood, beekeeper and owner of ‘Hoods Honey’, who look after the beehives, said: “This is our ninth year having beehives on site in the Scottish Parliament. In that time we’ve gone from four hives up to fifteen now.

“The bees love being based here and thrive in this environment, and I’m proud to say all of the hives on site have been bred here and so are a unique strain to the Scottish Parliament.”

Key info:

• The bees typically forage for pollen and nectar at a distance of up to 2 miles, but with Holyrood Park on their doorstep, they do not have to fly very far. 
• In the height of summer each hive will have between 65,000 and 70,000 bees.
• On a daily basis, one hive’s combined flight distance for all the flying bees will equate to flying from the Earth to the Moon.
• They fly at an average speed of 17mph when flying to plants and 12mph coming back fully laden with their goods. 
• The beeswax (which is a by-product of beekeeping) is used to fill the Great Seal of Scotland and seal acts of the Scottish Parliament.
• As the world’s most important pollinator of food crops, it is estimated that one third of the food that we consume each day relies on pollination, mainly by bees, but also from other insects, birds, and bats.