3 ways to help protect bees in Newcastle

Shop from a sustainable local grocer

We’ve mentioned the huge impact choosing a more eco-friendly local grocer can have on the environment before, and bees are no exception. Aside from cutting your carbon footprint and reducing carbon emissions, choosing an organic shop where you can means less pesticides and harmful chemicals transferred to our fluffy black and yellow friends. Win-win, right?

Here’s our favourite organic store — to help take the sting out of your weekly shop, and make it all-round more bee-friendly.

The Honey Tree

If you’ve been here before, you’ll know we’re big fans of The Honey Tree at Newcastle Apartments. In fact, we’ve even featured them in an article before! In case you missed it, this Heaton Road store is on a mission to make buying locally sourced, organic produce as easy as possible for everyone. With delicious fresh, seasonal fruit and veg rotated regularly, The Honey Tree is definitely worth a visit.

Why not pop into their store and see what they have on offer? Or, if you’re strapped for time, check their available stock, and pick up a seasonal veg box via their website.

Buy your honey locally

A natural antifungal, antibacterial, and sweetener, honey has been around as long as we have — but how does the way it’s farmed affect the bees themselves?

In short, sustainable local apiaries often use organic or no chemical treatments on bees, and work to breed healthy, thriving colonies of bees to keep the population rising. So, what’s not to love?

Here’s our favourite option for tasty (bee-approved!) honey, local to the ‘toon.

Northumberland Honey

A family business founded right in the heart of the Tyne, Northumberland Honey are set on producing high-quality, delicious honey using sustainable practices that boost the honey bee population. This sweet local buzz-iness only uses organic chemicals with their bees, and continually work on bee breeding to ensure growth in bee numbers. With mouth-watering comb, soft-set, and runny honey all on offer, there’s something for everyone. So, next time you fancy something sweet, why not treat yourself to some tasty organic honey? The bees will thank you later!

You can find out more or order online on Northumberland Honey’s website.

Donate to a bee-friendly charity

Hey, we get it. It can be difficult to change daily habits — so if you’re looking for a way to help protect the bee population that’s low effort and high reward, look no further. Why not donate whatever you can afford to a bee conservation charity? Here’s one of the most prominent in the UK to get you started, but where you donate is, of course, up to you.

Bumblebee Conservation Trust

Working on huge conservation strategies and partnering with regions to boost their bee populations, the Bumblebee Conservation Trust are a science-led organisation that leads the only national recording scheme of bumblebees across the UK – the BeeWalk. This informs their conservation projects, and helps the organisation do their best work to keep the nation’s bees healthy and thriving.

You can find out more information on the Bumblebee Conservation Trust’s website.

…Like jazz?

You thought we could write a World Bee Day article and not make a Barry B. Benson reference? Then you’d bee wrong. In honour of potentially our very favourite bee himself, here’s our favourite Newcastle jazz hangout.

Hoochie Coochie

A Pilgrim Street luxury bar playing soul, funk, and jazz, Hoochie Coochie have hosted some of the world’s biggest artists — Chaka Khan ring any bells? If you fancy yourself as a bit of a jazz connoisseur, get your glad rags on and give this club a try. Barry would be proud.

Planning to give any of our tips a try? Let us know over on our socials @ncapartments_.