A HOUSEBUILDER has donated “bee hotels” to a primary school as part of a special celebration.

To celebrate World Bee Day and help provide suitable nesting sites for bees, housebuilder Dandara donated the hotels to Notley Green Primary School, near to its Towerlands Park development.

With more than 20,000 species of bee known worldwide, World Bee Day aims to raise awareness of the importance of pollinators, the threats they face and their contribution to sustainable development.

As not all bee species make and live in colonies, bee hotels offer a safe shelter in which solitary bees can lay their eggs.

The bee hotels donated by Dandara will be installed at Notley Green School providing nesting sites for bees in the area.

Forest lead at Notley Green Primary School Jackie Candice said: “Our pupils are very excited to install and look after the new bee hotels, and we are hopeful we will see them used this summer by some new visitors.

“We would like to thank Dandara for the donation, and the great opportunity to learn more about the vital work bees perform.”

Head of sales at Dandara Eastern Gemma Bannister added: “We hope our donation will encourage young people to develop their interest in beekeeping and pollinator conservation efforts, as prompted by this year’s theme to ‘Bee engaged with Youth.’

“Dandara is committed to enhancing and maintaining local biodiversity, as reflected in our work towards providing a net biodiversity gain at all new developments.

“With about 35 species of bee currently under the threat of extinction, we hope this provision of shelter for bees in the area will provide a fun and exciting way for people to learn about and help preserve biodiversity in their community.”