OVER 200,000 bees are being given a home by a building management company.

On World Bee Day tomorrow, May 20, housing company Thirteen is raising awareness of the importance of protecting and preserving bees.

The company's environmental specialist and beekeeper John Woods has brought four colonies of bees to the bee enclosure at Thirteen’s ecology centre in efforts to educate people on the importance of the insects.

Mr Woods said: “As well as having 34,000 homes across Teesside and the North East, we’re also landlord to bees.

“Bees are extremely important. They are vital to the environment and the economy. Bees are commonly known for honey, but they’re very clever, hardworking little creatures behind many foods which we take for granted and eat every day.

“They pollinate over 70 per cent of the food we eat, fertilising plants so they can produce fruit and vegetables.

“Without bees, our supermarkets would have around half of the fruit and vegetables that we see today. Sadly, the population of bees is threatened by the loss of habitats and climate change."

The Northern Echo: Thirteen’s environmental specialist John Woods. Picture: THIRTEEN

The bees moved into the Billingham ecology centre in September and Thirteen is set to launch a community project to raise awareness of climate change, the loss of biodiversity and making a positive impact.

“By having four colonies at the centre, we’re doing our bit to protect them," Mr Woods said.

“Not far from the centre, there’s a lot of arable land and a lot of farming. This is great for the bees. It allows them to go out and feed and bring back pollen and nectar and make honey, which we’ll be sharing with communities and colleagues.

“Anyone can take action to prevent the decline of bees, like we have at Thirteen. But just a little help from everyone in the way of not using pesticides and planting more flowers and trees, will all play a part in protecting the bees.”