BUMBLE BEES - in glass!

Why are bees important?

We simply wouldn't be able to survive without bees. As well as boosting our mood when we see them in our woods and gardens, they're crucial to our physical health and the health of the wider environment.

Bees pollinate food crops

Many of the UK's arable crops benefit from bee pollination. While there are other methods of pollination, including by other animals and the wind, wild bees can pollinate on a much bigger and more efficient scale.

Estimates suggest it would cost UK farmers an incredible £1.8 billion a year to manually pollinate their crops.

Bees feed livestock

Bees pollinate many of the crops used for animal feed. Without them, it would be harder to produce lots of our meat, egg and dairy products.

Bees prop up the ecosystem

Without bees (and thousands of other insect species that call the UK home), it wouldn't be long before our ecosystem collapsed. Bees pollinate our wild trees and wild flowers, which then support other insects, which then support birds, bats, mammals and everything up the food chain with food and shelter.

Bumblebees

Did you know.........there are 24 types of bumblebee in the UK! These clumsy balls of fluff are a social species, nesting in colonies of around 200 bees. If you are curious:  https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/blog/2023/07/types-of-bee-in-the-uk/

MY GLASS  BEES:

My little bees are made from glass powder.  I use a method similar to a process called Pate de Verre (paste of glass), which uses water with the powder to form a paste, which is then used to form the bee, which eventually is fired in a kiln.  Lots of time, both in the making, which is fiddly, and in the kiln.  But worth it - I love these cute little bees! They are available from my Etsy shop:  www.jackiesimmondsstudio.etsy.com

They can be fired onto Bullseye glass, or "cold fused" to any other glass - or tile, or ceramic surface.  My customers add them to panels, to vases, to bowls, to tiles, to windchimes, to night lights - all sorts.  I hope you like them as much as I do!