BEE KEEPING

During the last two summers we have had several beehives placed on site at Castlereagh House. The colony is established in April/May of each year depending on the weather with the active period for bee keeping running from then until early September at which stage hives are prepared and closed for over wintering. The hives are set in long grass that is not touched by lawnmowers therefore not disrupting normal grounds maintenance procedures. The apiarists who look for any possible problems check the beehives on a regular basis. Bees can be a great asset to the conservation of a site due to their abilities to pollinate the surrounding flora. As the bees can only survive in an area where pesticides are used to a minimum Castlereagh House was deemed to be an ideal location.

TREE FELLING

A tree felling exercise was recently undertaken in the grounds of Castlereagh House whereby several dangerous and diseased trees were felled. These trees had been identified as a result of a tree survey that had been completed previously. Over the coming years other trees will be felled as required.

REED BED

SONI, in conjunction with Garden Reach, are currently investigating the possibility of replacing the existing waste management system at Castlereagh House with a reed filter bed. The Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust are to be contacted in order to discuss a proposed feasibility study on this matter.