Biodiversity and Ecology
We are privileged to work on a unique site in the middle of the Cheshire Countryside. Protecting the Biodiversity & Ecology of the site is key for us.
At Storengy UK's Stublach site, an exciting programme of bee breeding is taken place.
Due to the large size of the Stublach site and the controlled access, Storengy were able to make available land for a bee breeding program. The program aims to breed bees on site for distribution across Cheshire and beyond. We have a number of 'breeder' hives around the site which contain the native Cheshire bees, which although in decline, are integral to the agricultural community that surrounds our site.
In 2024 we increased our number of breeding colony’s by an additional 6 hives.
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Key facts about bees
A full colony can contain up to 50,000 bees
In the summer, worker bees only live for around 6 weeks
The Queen will lay 1,000+ eggs a day and eats twice her body weight each day
A teaspoon of honey is the lifetime's work of 12 bees
The bees on site are native to the UK. The scientific name is Apis Mellifera Mellifera but they are more commonly known as AMM's
AMM's are under threat from increasing importation of different races of honey bees who interbreed with the local bees changing their temperament, hardiness, production and breeding patterns.
To make one pound of honey requires 50,000 miles of flying and visiting 2,000,000 flowers.
If you would like to know more about bees and bee keeping in Cheshire please visit Bees in our Community : Bees In Our Community
For National information and initiatives please visit the British Bee Keepers Association: British Beekeepers Association (bbka.org.uk)
Ecology & Stublach
Storengy UK works with ecological experts to prevent harm to the local environmental and protected species. From our very beginnings, in 2009, the construction team took account of the endangered wildlife on site.
The endangered wildlife on the site includes great-crested newts and bats. Storengy UK provided habitats to enable these creatures to continue their natural breeding patterns. Storengy UK planted greater numbers of trees than those felled for construction in line with expert advice (between 85,000-100,000 trees and shrubs). Stublach is occupied by 8 tenant farms and Storengy UK consults regularly with the farming community to ensure that their work can continue safely, side-by-side with our own activities. Storengy UK rebuilt and maintains all of the secure fencing around the fields used for grazing livestock. We repair hedgerows and clean ditches to ensure water drainage across the site.
We want to leave a lasting, positive legacy on the land and have planted a number of vegetable and fruit plants as part of our on-site allotment. This is not only contributing to the wellbeing of our staff, who participate in planting and harvesting, but also allows us to engage with the local community.