Guests swarm to bee hotel in London offering day trips to Buckingham Palace (and humans can stay there too)
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Guests are swarming to a new hotel in London - but it isn't two-legged visitors that are being attracted to the colourful accommodation in St James's Park.
Instead, the capital's first 'Bee & Bee' at St Ermin's Hotel aims to attract visiting pollinators.
Purple reign: The new 'bee hotel' was designed by the hotel's beekeeper Camilla Goddard
Hive of activity: The 'Bee & Bee' features 'condominiums' for solitary bees and 'bijou boxes' for social bees
The new 'bee hotel' on the hotel's third floor terrace was designed by beekeeper Camilla Goddard and is made up of hexagon 'suites' painted in the hotel's purple livery.
It features bamboo nesting areas and 'condominiums' for solitary bees such as the leaf cutter bee, along with 'bijou boxes' for social bees such as the tree bumble bee.
Causing a buzz: The 'bee hotel' is located on the third floor terrace at St Ermin's Hotel in St James Park
Heaven scent: The terrace is dotted with wildflowers and bee-friendly plants
The terrace is dotted with wildflowers and bee-friendly plants and is already home to four hives, which house a thriving resident colony of 300,000 Buckfast honey bees.
The 'bee hotel' also provides accommodation for a variety of other insects such as rolled cardboard swirls for lacewings and crevice stacks for ladybirds, earwigs, woodlice and spiders.
Sweet success: The hotel's bee-keeper Camilla Goddard (left) teaches guests how to collect raw honey
Camilla says: 'I really want to encourage more people to help by creating more forage for bee'
And the bees get to see the sights of London on their stay: they fly over a three-mile radius, visiting tourists attractions such as Buckingham Palace, St James's Park and flower boxes in Mayfair, to gather nectar from 53 types of plants, flowers and trees including sweet chestnut, blackberry and horse chestnut.
Meanwhile, the hotel's human guests can watch the bees at work through glass walls on the third floor walkway corridor.
And those who want to learn more about the insects can sign up for a beekeeping workshop, which teaches them how to create an environment suitable for bees.
The 'bee hotel' also provides accommodation for a variety of other insects such as rolled cardboard swirls for lacewings and crevice stacks for ladybirds, earwigs, woodlice and spiders
Honey trap: The terrace is already home to a thriving resident colony of 300,000 Buckfast honey bees
Guests will also learn about the complexities of bee society and 'beehaviour' and discover which flowers will attract bees to their own gardens; where to place hives in gardens and allotments; how to manage hives; and how to collect raw honey.
'Bees are suffering massive decline and have a lot of challenges at the moment, including reduced natural forage, such as wild flower meadows', says Camilla.
'I really want to encourage more people to help by creating more forage for bees - don't forget trees like apples, chestnuts and pears. In London bees visit lots of privet flowers, so please don't prune off the flower heads.'
Sweet treat: The collected honey features in the hotel's afternoon tea
Liquid nectar: The beekeeping workshops include a complimentary cocktail at the hotel's Caxton Bar
So far, the workshops have been a sell-out but the hotel has scheduled extra dates for September.
The two-and-a-half-hour sessions cost £25 per person and include a complimentary cocktail at the hotel's Caxton Bar.
Available dates include September 13, 16 and 20. Visit http://ift.tt/1w7h2fx to book.
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