Written by: David Drummond
2025
To mark Insect Week, students from CAFRE’s Greenmount Campus helped to construct two hibernacula and a south-east-facing sand mount at our golf and greenkeeping facility. These features were designed to support solitary bees, wasps, beetles, lizards, and small mammals by providing sheltered nesting and overwintering habitats.
The initiative responds to a worrying decline in insect populations over the past decade, driven largely by habitat loss and chemical use. One-third of Ireland’s wild bee species are now threatened with extinction, primarily due to the loss of food sources and safe nesting sites.
By creating favourable conditions and reducing chemical inputs, we aim to play our part in reversing this trend, in line with the goals of the shared All-Ireland Pollinator Plan. Together, we can take steps to restore pollinator populations to healthy levels.
All materials used in the project were recycled—pallets, old doors, and natural debris formed the structure for the hibernacula.
A huge thank you to Evelyn, Sarah and Shane from Greenmount for their help in bringing this to life.
