Beelieve it or not, it's a new wildlife world record!

Kent Wildlife Trust is celebrating the news that Guinness World Records™ has confirmed that the bee house they constructed is indeed the world's largest. On 17th August this year, staff and volunteers from Kent's biggest conservation charity created the permanent structure - measuring 5 metres x 2.37 metres (16 ft 5 in by 7ft 9 in) in just four hours at its Sevenoaks Wildlife Reserve. This latest visitor attraction for the nature reserve is expected to entice bees to take up residence next spring. The feature also aims to raise the current plight of bees - with many species in serious decline - and to encourage Kent residents to create simpler bee homes for their own gardens. The carefully designed structure should encourage the nesting of solitary bees - as equally important to the food chain as bumblebees and honeybees. The project was managed by Amanda Hamley, Community Fundraising and Events Manager for the Trust. Edward Morgan, a local chartered builder, built the substantial timber frame, which was filled with stone, bricks, pre-drilled concrete, wooden blocks and plant material. All materials were either donated by local businesses or sourced from the Trust's own nature reserves. Maidstone Prison's Garden Party built many of the internal component parts to the structure. Guinness World Records™ approved this unique challenge earlier this year following which Sevenoaks District Council granted planning permission. The Mayor of Sevenoaks, Cllr Simon Raikes, officially declared the start of the challenge and official witnesses attended throughout the event to confirm that the record had met the Guinness World Records™ standards. On completion, final measurements were taken and validated by the witnesses followed by a celebratory address and toast by Trust Chairman, Fidelity Weston. •In 2008, as part of its 50th anniversary celebrations, Kent Wildlife Trust also set a new Guinness World Record™ for the world's largest bird seed cake.