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The University of Bristol's Botanic Garden is hoping to get across just how important bees are to us this bank holiday.

As part of the International Year of Biodiversity, the Botanic Garden is holding a special event over this bank holiday to highlight the vital role bees play in pollinating our food supply as well as flowers.

In recent years the number of bees in the wild has dwindled. It's not clear what's caused the decline but the loss of natural habitats and changes in agricultural processes are thought be significant factors.

Professional beekeepers from the Avon Beekeeping Association will be on hand this weekend to pass on their advice and demonstrate different techniques. They've also set up a live hive so people can see exactly what goes on and how bees work.

Special tours are also being put on around the various flower beds in the gardens to show visitors what different types of plants people could be growing at home which help to support the insects.

Curator at the Garden, Nicholas Wray told us about one particular type of flower which is ideal for bees: "Rudbeckias which are in the Daisy family, they're a classic daisy shaped flower that's got a cone in the middle providing an easy landing platform for bees. Each flower will provide a small reward of nectar which is what the bee is looking for. And they will visit these flowers on warm days and actively search out the nectar and fly from flower to flower. In doing so, they transfer pollen from one flower to another and pollination with be achieved.

"One of the key things is to provide nectar producing flowers. But also flowers which will flower either throughout the year when bees are active, or when one flower finishes another one that you've planted will come to maturity so you can provide a nectar source running from early spring to late autumn."

The celebration of bees and pollination also includes exhibits by the University's School of Biological Sciences on bees and pollinations, local cider apple producers and the Gloucestershire Orchard Group. Local orchid enthusiasts, including Writhlington School, will highlight the relationship between pollinators and flowers in a display of rare, tropical orchids.

The Botanic Gardens are open between 10am and 4.30pm from Saturday 28 to Monday 30 August.

You can listen to the interview with Nicholas Wray by our reporter Fay Edwards at the top of the page.

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