This week Thomas Slattery spoke with Matthew Elmes and Owen Finnie at Pollenize, using technology and innovation to improve pollinator conservation. In this conversation we discussed the following:

• Pollenize is an innovative pollinator conservation organisation founded by Matthew Elms and Owen Finnie in 2018
• Organisation was originally born out of Elms and Finnie's own allergies to hay fever
• Developed a range of services and products related to pollinator conservation, such as placing beehives in underused city spaces, researching honeybee foraging behaviours, decoding the honeybee waggle dance, and using UV light to photograph moths
• Developed a circular beekeeping method to arm landowners with a gap analysis and prescription seeds mix to improve the area around the hives for bees
• Provide services for landowners such as monthly visits to track improvement over time, as well as providing a seed pharmacy with hundreds of different species available
• Working with the University of Plymouth to develop a biodiversity tracking tool

Pollenize is an innovative pollinator conservation organisation founded by Matthew Elms and Owen Finnie in 2018. The organisation was originally born out of Elms and Finnie's own allergies to hay fever, which they believed they could alleviate by consuming small amounts of local honey. 

Pollenize have since developed a range of services and products related to pollinator conservation, such as placing beehives in underused city spaces, researching honeybee foraging behaviours, decoding the honeybee waggle dance, and using UV light to photograph moths. They have also developed a circular beekeeping method to arm landowners with a gap analysis and prescription seeds mix to improve the area around the hives for bees. 

Pollenize provide services for landowners such as monthly visits to track improvement over time, as well as providing a seed pharmacy with hundreds of different species available. They are also working with the University of Plymouth to develop a biodiversity tracking tool. This tool will enable landowners to put their ecological survey data into the database and track the improvement over time.

Pollenize CIC was founded by born and bred Plymouthians (and best friends) Matthew Elmes and Owen Finnie in 2018.

Pollenize was started as an unassuming initiative to create better access to beekeeping equipment and local honey. Matt and Owen read that local honey was a good way to immunise the symptoms of hay fever, an allergy that both suffer from quite severely! Without being able to find this easily, they took it upon themselves to seek out innovative and accessible ways to keep honey bees in an urban landscape.

After developing a business plan and undertaking all the relevant training in apiculture, Pollenize set up a network of 11 community apiaries (beehive sites) stocked with native honey bees across iconic sites in Plymouth. These sites include landmarks such as the National Marine Aquarium, Royal William Yard and the Devonport Column. This way members of the public could get involved and have a share of the honey crop each year.  It soon became apparent how serious pollinator decline has become and they felt an overwhelming duty to use Pollenize as an effective tool in creating a lasting positive impact in the city.

Four years on since their humble beginnings, Pollenize has been catapulted on an incredible journey fuelled by a sheer fascination with the bees, moths, butterflies and all pollinators, their crucial role for a healthy planet and most importantly what we can do as humans to protect them. As a result, our social enterprise has gained huge momentum, leading them to become a key player in driving environmental research and social change within their city and beyond.