COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

MEETING OF SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

Monday, June 09, 2025

QUESTION NO.12

QUESTION: Councillor E. Ó Broin

To ask the Chief Executive how many habitats for mining bees he has created under the South Dublin County Council biodiversity action plan?

REPLY:

SDCC's Biodiversity Action Plan aims to act at a strategic level to promote the protection and enhancement of habitats for pollinators.  The Council undertakes actions to support important pollinators like mining bees under Action 1.1.iii of the Biodiversity Action Plan, which relates to the surveying and monitoring of biodiversity at identified pollinator sites. The Council's Pollinator Action Plan 2021 -2025 also includes many actions to support pollinators including mining bees and these actions include the protection of known nesting sites, the creation of new sites, the reduction in mowing regimes in certain areas and the reduction in the use of herbicides as well as other actions.

Under these actions the Council has applied for and received grants under the National Biodiversity Action Plan to establish and commence a monitoring programme for our flower-rich meadows in three of the Council’s parks.  This work includes monitoring for pollinating insects like mining bees. A recommendation arising from that monitoring programme included the creation of what are termed ‘bee scrapes’, where soil is exposed by taking a scrape of surface vegetation away.  This creates the bare soil habitat that mining bees will use to dig tunnels for their underground nesting sites.  ‘Bee scrapes’ have been created in a number of places in the parks including 7 such locations in Tymon Park close to flower rich meadows and these are being monitored to see if these sites are being occupied. The locations of other naturally occurring sites where mining bees are already known to be present are also being monitored for bee nesting activity under this monitoring programme.