Railway Fields’ bees get a new dead hedge

There was a new arrival at Railway Fields at the end of last year – a hive of bees. You can see it tucked away at the back of the site where the railway lines and New River meet. The bees are sleepy and inactive during the cold weather, but when it warms up we hope they will thrive in their new home and add to the richness of Railway Fields’ ecology. And maybe even produce some honey…

Friends gather for the January conservation session

Our aim for the January conservation session was to build a new dead hedge around the hive area, to separate it off from the path. A dead hedge is an ideal barrier because, over time, it becomes a mini-habitat for all sorts of wildlife. Plus it recycles the bits that are leftover from pruning and cutting back trees and shrubs.

First we found some long, sturdy branches and sawed them to roughly equal lengths. These were hammered into the ground to create a framework. We then gathered thinner branches, weaving them between the uprights to create the hedge.

Weaving thinner branches between the upright stakes

It was a chilly day but the hard work kept us warm, and by the end of the morning the new dead hedge had taken shape.  A huge thank you to everyone who came to lend a hand! Hope to see you at February’s meeting when we’ll be getting some practical experience of wild hedgerow management.

The finished dead hedge - all in a morning's work...