12 Oct, 2017

A NEW HOME FOR KELLOGG’S BUZZIEST RESIDENTS

Kellogg’s has moved its colony of 100,000 honey bees from its office headquarters to its factory site ahead of the re-locate to MediaCityUK.

Since 2014 years the bees have lived in four bee-hives within the grounds producing Kellogg’s Talbot Road Honey – this year’s four hives produced 160kg of honey.

At the height of summer there are around 60,000 bees in each hive which means that over the last three years, Talbot Road has housed around 720,000 bees.

Now unable to take the colony to MediaCityUK the Kellogg’s bees have now been rehomed on the Trafford Park factory site.

Explaining the delicate task of moving the bee colony, Warren Bader from Plan Bee, who set up the bee colony at Talbot Road, said: “Urban bees like these are critical to the survival of the bee population.

“Bees do not fly when the temperature is below 12 degrees or at night so we plugged the entrance to the hives early one morning before the sun had risen.

“Then we transported the bees, in their hives, to their new location alongside the existing bee colony at the Kellogg factory in Trafford Park.”

Currently the UK Bee population is under threat from climate change, building on green spaces and the growing of monoculture crops to feed the world population.

Bees will often thrive in cities because there is a lot more variety in the flowers around them – and a healthy bee colony needs variety.

Kate Prince, Senior Manager CSR and Partnerships, Kellogg Europe, added: “As part of our sustainability programme we are always looking ways to improve the environment through greener business choices and programmes.

“One third of the UK’s food is pollinated by bees playing a key role in our food chain. We have loved having the bees on our Talbot Road site and now we are really pleased we have been able to rehome our honey bees to our factory site.

“Bees can travel up to three miles a day so who knows one day next summer one of the Trafford Park bees might find its way back to Talbot Road.”

What to help Kellogg’s Manchester bees thrive? Plant herbs in your gardens, plant pots or window boxes. Thyme, mint, marjoram, Rosemary and borage are all good for working bees. Let them go to flower and go to seed – the bees will thank you.

ENDS

Further information from the Kellogg’s press office on 0161 869 5500 / pressoffice@kellogg.com.

For more information on Plan Bee follow this link:  https://www.planbeeltd.com/