Skip to content

You are using an outdated browser

Internet Explorer is not supported by this site and Microsfot has stopped releasing updates, therefore you may encounter issues whilst visiting this site and we strongly recommend that you upgrade your browser for modern web functionality, a better user experience and improved security.

Upgrade my browser

Bee bricks become mandatory for new buildings in British beach resort

Bee bricks become mandatory for new buildings in British beach resort
Source: Instagram/greenandblueuk

A new planning law introduced in the seaside city of Brighton and Hove, on the south coast of England, calls for new buildings above five metres to include special bricks that provide nests for solitary bees.

Bee bricks become planning requirement for new buildings in Brighton

Brighton & Hove Council’s policy stipulates that all new buildings above five metres should include bee bricks, as well as bird nesting boxes suitable for swifts. These bee bricks are the same size as regular bricks, but integrate a series of narrow openings like those where solitary bees are known to nest. The aim is to increase opportunities for biodiversity. — Dezeen 

Great for garden lovers, design lovers and nature lovers, the Bee Brick is an innovative nesting site for solitary bees, created to look lovely just stood in your garden, with the innovation that the brick can also be used in place of a standard brick in construction, creating more habitat for non-swarming solitary bees.
If you’re looking to make more space for nature then the Bee Brick solitary bee house is for you. Great for garden lovers, design lovers and nature lovers, the Bee Brick is an innovative nesting site for solitary bees, created to look lovely just stood in your garden, with the innovation that the brick can also be used in place of a standard brick in construction, creating more habitat for non-swarming solitary bees. Source: Instagram/greenandblueuk
The Bee Brick provides a stylish nesting site for red mason and leafcutter bees, amongst other cavity nesting species, and makes a real design statement in any bee-friendly garden, allotment, or building.
Hole Hotel. The Bee Brick provides a stylish nesting site for red mason and leafcutter bees, amongst other cavity nesting species, and makes a real design statement in any bee-friendly garden, allotment, or building. Source: Instagram/greenandblueuk

Bee bricks replicate known habitat but Scientists flag potential health hazards

"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," said Robert Nemeth, the councillor behind the initiative. "Increased planting, hedgehog holes, swift boxes and bird feeders are all examples of other cheap and simple ideas that, together, could lead to easy medium-term gains," he told Dezeen .

Bee bricks replicate known habitat

Nemeth proposed the move in 2019 and the stipulation has been included in planning permissions granted by the council since 1 April 2020.

While swift bricks already feature in many UK planning policies, the inclusion of bee bricks is a relatively new development. However Brighton is not alone – councils in Cornwall and Dorset have adopted similar policies.

Faye Clifton of Green&Blue, a company that manufactures bee bricks, said they recreate an existing type of nest that is popular with solitary bees, but which is becoming increasingly rare due to the precision of modern construction.

"Solitary bees nest in crumbling mortar work and old brickwork," she said, "but modern buildings are so perfect that all the cavities are blocked."

"We’re putting a habitat into each building in the same way that has occurred naturally for hundreds of years," she told Dezeen.

"If these weren’t put in, it would just be a closed wall. That’s hundreds and hundreds of miles of land gone to any kind of biodiversity."

Scientists flag potential health hazards

Scientists are divided over the effectiveness of bee bricks in improving biodiversity, with some suggesting there are risks they could attract mites and increase spread of disease.

Dave Goulson, a professor of biology at the University of Sussex, told The Guardian he had tested the bricks and found the holes to be too shallow to be "ideal homes for bees” but “are probably better than nothing".

"We are kidding ourselves if we think having one of these in every house is going to make any real difference for biodiversity," he said. "Far more substantial action is needed, and these bricks could easily be used as ‘greenwash’ by developers."

Adam Hart, an entomologist and professor of science communication at the University of Gloucestershire, also expressed doubts, stating "well-meaning interventions can have unwanted consequences". 

Source: Dezeen 

The Bee Brick and other bee homes from Green&Blue are both functional and beautiful, which is a rare thing for a construction material, but to also be able to contribute to helping the survival of native bees is the cherry on top.
Pick your brick! The Bee Brick and other bee homes from Green&Blue are both functional and beautiful, which is a rare thing for a construction material, but to also be able to contribute to helping the survival of native bees is the cherry on top. Source: Instagram/greenandblueuk
Solitary bees are fascinating to watch and a wonderful way to introduce kids to bees, solitary bees have no queen or honey to protect, meaning they are non-aggressive and won’t sting.
Bee-spotting Solitary bees are fascinating to watch and a wonderful way to introduce kids to bees, solitary bees have no queen or honey to protect, meaning they are non-aggressive and won’t sting. Source: Instagram/greenandblueuk
Bee houses can be a simple way to do something to help our declining bee population, alongside bee-friendly planting and other wildlife-friendly measures.
The Beepot is another option. Bee houses can be a simple way to do something to help our declining bee population, alongside bee-friendly planting and other wildlife-friendly measures. Source: Instagram/greenandblueuk
The Beepost is designed as a nesting site for solitary bees but also as a beautiful sculptural piece to provide interest in a garden or landscape design.
The Beepost. The Beepost is designed as a nesting site for solitary bees but also as a beautiful sculptural piece to provide interest in a garden or landscape design. Source: Instagram/greenandblueuk
Bee Bricks retrofitted into a property in Cambridgeshire. Source: Instagram/greenandblueuk
These Bee Bricks Gets Cities Buzzing ? Bee Bricks make cities buzz again. A brilliant example of nature inclusive building... now obligatory in Brighton for buildings higher than 5 metres. #natureinclusive #bees #biodiversity #bees #building Source: Facebook/BrightVibes
Make an Impact

HOW TO HELP BEES: 8 PRACTICAL ACTION STEPS YOU CAN TAKE TO BEFRIEND BEES AND MAKE A REAL DIFFERENCE

The good news is there are plenty of ways you can get involved and you don’t need to become a beekeeper — unless that kind of thing gives you a buzz!