The city council in the English city of Brighton & Hove, which sets on the south coast, has mandated that all buildings over 5 metres be constructed with so-called 'bee-bricks'.
Bee-bricks look like regular construction bricks but are manufactured with tiny holes that allow bees to nest. Contrary to what is perhaps common belief, only 20 of the 270 different types of bees in the UK live in traditional hives, while the rest are 'solitary buzzers', which means they nest themselves and their young in small holes, usually in trees or rocks.
Bees are among the most important animals on the planet as they are responsible for pollinating and fertilising the plants that make up our ecosystem and much of the food we eat.
The Brighton & Hove town councillor behind the project, Robert Nemeth, says of the project:
"Bee bricks are just one of quite a number of measures that really should be in place to address biodiversity concerns that have arisen through years of neglect of the natural environment."
While many have praised the new initiative others are worried that, as the holes need to be cleaned to prevent mites accumulating, that this is storing up long-term problems.
Dave Goulson, a professor of biology at the University of Sussex, told The Guardian that while the bricks may be better than nothing, they were far from perfect. He said:
"Bee bricks seem like a displacement activity to me. We are kidding ourselves if we think having one of these in every house is going to make any real difference for biodiversity. Far more substantial action is needed, and these bricks could easily be used as 'greenwash' by developers."
However, scientist Lars Chittka praised the project, saying:
"Bees naturally possess hygienic behaviour that would allow them to mitigate the risks at least to some extent, or that they would assess the holes' states before using them, which should to some extent counterbalance the risks that come with such long-term nesting opportunities. It might well be that the Brighton project provides an opportunity to study the risks and benefits on a reasonably wide scale, and over an extended period – say five years. But I would certainly recommend not copying this project across the country before the long-term benefits and risks are explored."
[Based on reporting by: Good News Network]
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