Rural Payments and Services

Beetlebanks should run through the middle of fields parallel to a field boundary.

Aim to create a two metre wide beetlebank. The beetlebank can be wider than this but you will only be paid for a two metre width.

The beetlebank should consist of a low (30 to 50 centimetres) raised bank in the middle of the field. This is best achieved during normal cultivation by careful two-directional ploughing to create a low ridge.

If you don’t want to create a raised bank then you can apply for the Grass Strips in Arable Fields option instead.

The beetlebank does not have to run the entire length of the field and a gap can be left between the edge of the field and the beetle bank. Some farmers find that this is more practical as the headland can be cropped and the field can continue to be worked as a single unit.

The beetlebanks should be sown with a mixture of perennial grasses such as cocksfoot, timothy and red fescue at a rate of 30kg/ha.

A small proportion of tall growing wildflowers such as knapweed, ox-eye daisy and yarrow can be added to the seed mixture. This will significantly enhance the value of the beetle bank to pollinating insects.

The beetlebank should ideally be topped (after 1 August) in the first year of establishment to encourage establishment of grasses and control annual weeds.