A DURHAM dale is buzzing about bees as people try to reinvigorate the species’ chances of survival in the area.

Weardale in County Durham is hoping to help honey bees with several projects now underway.

Residents in Cowshill, in Upper Weardale have launched their own beekeeping club with the eventual aim of creating their own honey.

And the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) Partnership, based in Stanhope, has launched the £390,000 Nectarworks project.

The plight of the honey bee has been making global headlines with the species’ decline being linked to forecast shortages of food.

According to Capital Bee, a London-based campaign group set up to protect bees, bees pollinate more than 70 of the 100 crop species used to produce 90 per cent of the world’s food.

In the UK, crops pollinated by bees and other insects are worth £510m every year, while 78 per cent of all flowering plants rely on bees and other pollinators to survive.

Albert Einstein saw the importance of bees when he said: “If the bee disappeared off the surface of the globe, then man would only have four years of life left. “No more bees, no more pollination, no more plants, no more animals, no more man.”

It is a problem that is being taken seriously with aggressive agriculture and growing use of pesticides blamed.

The European Union has now banned the use of neonicotinoids to stop further decline in numbers, although scientists are divided over what affect the pesticides have on bees and the National Farmers’ Union (NFU) fears the ban could cost the UK £610m every year because of a loss of yield in crops like oilseed rape.

Villagers in Cowshill have decided to do their bit for the beleaguered bee as well as raising some funds for their community - and having fun learning a new skill.

They hope to take delivery of 10,000 honey bees in the next few weeks which will be kept in hives on land owned by Cowshill resident Heather Ross.

Once they have been moved into their new hives, the bees will collect nectar from wildflower meadows and gardens in the area to produce honey.

Ian Reedman, one of the Cowshill Community Beekeepers, said the group hopes to produce enough honey to sell at agricultural shows and farmers markets raising money for the village.

He said: “It’s an exciting new project that is creating a real buzz among villagers.”

The group are receiving expert tuition from Anne Henderson and villager Sue Miller and hope to have their first few jars of honey ready by the end of summer.

While they will start with around 10,000 bees in their two hives, the population is expected to rise to up to 60,000 during the potent summer months.

Meanwhile, the north Pennines AONB Partnership has is getting its Nectarworks project off the ground.

The project will see farmers, gardeners and schools persuaded to plant thousands of nectar-producing plants to attract bees.

A map of the North Pennines will then be developed, tracking areas that provide a plentiful food source for bumblebees and other wildlife, including butterflies and hoverflies, and helping to target the creation of new areas where there are gaps.

The project is being funded through a £370,000 grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) and £20,000 from Northumbrian Water's Branch Out fund.

Rebecca Barrett, project development officer at the AONB Partnership, said: “We can make sure the last remnants of our flower-rich meadows are managed properly so they don't disappear forever.

"It will also give people the chance to make a real difference to wildlife conservation in their own gardens."

Recent research undertaken during the partnership's Hay Time project showed an urgent need to protect vulnerable grasslands that provide food for a wealth of wildlife, especially bumblebees.

Ms Barrett said: "We found that once widespread flower-rich hay meadow habitats are now very rare.

"We also found that many smallholders are keen both to support each other and to encourage the wildlife on their land, but perhaps don't always have the right equipment or information to do this.

"With this grant we can work alongside smallholders, helping them to access the training and machinery they need, and establish a network that will be self-sustaining into the future."

Despite their ability to withstand colder climates - which is the reason our northern bumblebees are hairier than their Southern cousins - it is thought the long winter will make this spring even more difficult for queen bees as they emerge from hibernation because few plants will be in flower.