PRIMARY schools across Sussex are being invited to take part in a special bee project.

Perfect Pollinators is a collaboration between the University of Sussex and NatureQuest and aims to engage children in scientific research.

Each school will be provided with nest boxes which are specially designed to allow children to observe the nesting behaviour of solitary bees.

These bees do not sting and don’t need any special looking after.

The box contains special trays which pull out and allow children to view the developing bees, providing a resource for teaching about insect life cycles.

Schools will be asked to collect data on their behaviour, such as when the first bees arrive, how many foraging trios they make over a set period and how many nests they make in total.

Researchers will then collect the data from all the schools to compare how well bees do in rural and urban environments.

Beth Nicholls, post-doctoral research scientist at the University of Sussex, said: "We hope that by taking part in this project funded by the British Ecological Society, children will learn more about what it’s like to be a scientist, which may inspire them to pursue a career in this field in the future.

"Much less is known about solitary bee biology compared to honeybees and bumblebees, and so children will also be helping us to collect important data on these less well studied bees.”

NatureQuest director Paul Webster said: "The Perfect Pollinators project will help children to better understand the role that solitary bees play in our lives.

"They are easy to manage, do not sting, and the specially-designed nest boxes we provide to schools allow children to experience the life cycle of these engaging creatures first hand”.

NatureQuest is a not for profit company based on the South Coast. Its aim is to provide young people with the opportunity to explore, enjoy and reconnect with the wildlife and landscapes around them.

The plan is to keep the project going for a number of years so schools can use the nesting boxes to teach future pupils as well.

Schools can register their interest by emailing Beth Nicholls at e.nicholls@sussex.ac.uk or calling 01273 873377.