The recent hot weather reminded me to encourage people to make sure that they have water in their gardens for bees and butterflies - and other wildlife, like hedgehogs of course.  Hedgehogs will drink out of a pond but please make sure they can get out safely if the pond has steep sides.  Just putting shallow bowls of water out in the garden will mean most things can enjoy a drink safely.

Bees and butterflies need very shallow water to drink from, as the surface tension of deeper water won’t hold them. They normally drink out of puddles or even boggy ground but hot weather will quickly dry up these essential water sources. Putting saucers of water, or even shallow containers of wet compost, around the garden will help but you will need to top them up regularly or they will also dry out.  Putting stones or even marbles in a bowl of water will mean ‘filling up’ less often and the bees and butterflies will be able to stand on the stones or marbles to be able to drink. It makes a lovely focal point too – and is great to watch the bees and butterflies come to drink.

If they don’t have access to water, bees can quickly become exhausted and disorientated, and you will often see a weary bee resting somewhere that’s not ideal.  A great way to revive them is to give them a tiny bit of sugar water if available – something I have done on an outdoor café table much to the amusement of onlookers.  There is nothing more satisfying than watching them fly away - the bee not the onlooker.

As always, there is much controversy about this, as honey is often used with cross contamination of disease, being an issue but I think it is preferable to save a life and it’s not as though the bees are going to become reliant on this free buffet – it is simply a life saver.  

There is excellent advice on www.beevive.com/blogs/bee-blog/howtosaveatiredbee and also fabulous little Bee Revival Kit Key rings which would not only make a great present for the person who has everything but may also save a life, or two.  Do please at least have a read of the ‘do’s and don’ts’ of saving bees and tell as many people as you can.

Staying with the water theme (tenuous link alert) I have recently noticed that the tops of bottled water have become quite hazardous.  Finding it harder to actually remove the bottle top cleanly – or at all - research shows that a new EU law mandates that the lids must now stay attached to the bottles, to encourage people to recycle both bits.  And rather than set up two factory lines – one for EU and one for Brits – the new ‘nightmare bottle tops’ are on our shelves too. 

I adore reading and researching – especially after working physically all day. I recently read about the death of Kenneth Grange, who designed many of our every day objects including the classic coin-operated parking meter, Kenwood food mixers, Wilkinson Sword razors, Kodak instamatic cameras, Parker pens, Imperial typewriters, Morphy Richards irons, Ronson cigarette lighters, bus shelters, black cabs, Royal Mail postboxes and an ice cream scoop.

In 2002, Grange invented the Really Useful bookcase. Shaped like a man, it doubles as a coffin. “If I ever pop my clogs,” he said, “it’s books out and me in, off up to the great client in the sky.”  A remarkable invention I grant you, but even more remarkable is that the quote suggests he thought ‘popping his clogs’ may not happen.