Trinity College Dublin (TCD) was abuzz today as the university launched its first plan to preserve and increase its population of pollinators.
The blueprint includes the installation of a beehive that will house tens of thousands of honeybees on the city centre campus.
As part of the process, TCD is hosting a public competition to name its queen bee, which is expected to lay up to 1,500 eggs a day.
The TCD Campus Pollinator Plan is designed to support the objectives of the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan.
The university will work in tandem with a number of other green spaces in the capital's centre to create a network of pollinator friendly habitats capable of supporting and protecting bees and other insects.
Pollinator populations are falling in Ireland and around the world due to a number of factors including loss of habitat and use of insecticides.
"As well as further strengthening Trinity's research capability by allowing us to study our urban bees and consider the factors influencing pollinator-plant interactions and population changes, the Campus Pollinator Plan and our bees will support Trinity's sustainability ideals," said Prof Jane Stout, Professor of Botany at TCD.
"Similar actions are being undertaken across various sectors -- by community groups, local authorities, businesses, farmers and across transport networks, for example."
Entries for the queen naming competition can be submitted via Twitter to @tcddublin using the hashtag #TrinityQueen.
They can also been submitted via Facebook on the university's page or at https://campusbuzz.blog/competition/ .
The competition closes at noon on Thursday May 11th and the winner will receive a jar of the first harvested honey and a copy of the The Bee Book.
