The local Tesco superstore, in Paulton, has been following in the footsteps of the chain by helping to supply Mendip Beekeepers with waste sugar since 2017.

This scheme is needed now more than ever, as the population of bees has been rapidly declining over the last decade, with as many as seventeen species classed as extinct.

Twenty-five types of bee are known to be in danger of extinction, with another thirty-one labelled as a conservation concern.

The store’s discarded sugar from split bags, plus leftovers from the bakery, is being sent off to the local beekeepers for them to make into a sugar solution to feed the bees. They supply between 30-40 Kg every month to beekeepers in the Mendips. This is particularly necessary in the winter months, when there is less nectar, to help the bees to produce sweeter honey.