BEES ARE FOR LIFE

I’m excited that, thanks to Burt’s Bees Bring Back The Bees campaign (bringbackthebees.burtsbees.co.uk), I have adopted a beehive belonging to Barnaby Shaw, who has hives dotted across London, including on top of the Royal Festival Hall.

One in three mouthfuls we eat is dependent on insect pollination – mainly bees – according to the British Beekeepers Association (BBKA). Not to mention the health benefits of eating local honey, from soothing sore throats to helping hay fever sufferers like me be less sensitive to local pollen.

But these benign buzzers – humming round my pots of lavender as I write – are under threat from pesticides, habitat loss and disease, so helping them is vital. Plant bee-loving plants in your garden or in pots on a balcony or rooftop. Buy a Burt’s Bees Limited Edition Coconut & Pear Lip Balm, £3.99, and BBKA will scatter 5,000 bee-loving wild flower seeds. And consider adopting a beehive, bbka.org.uk.