Red-tailed bumblebee ©Jon Hawkins - Surrey Hills Photography
Bees and pollinators
What do pollinators do for us?
We have pollinators to thank for every third mouthful we eat. Not only do they pollinate our food crops, but they’re also vital for the survival of other wild plants that support so much of our wildlife.
Most of us tend to think of bees in relation to pollination, yet insect pollinators are an incredibly diverse group. Honeybees are mostly kept in managed hives, and are likely responsible for pollinating between 5-15% of the UK's insect-pollinated crops. That leaves 85-95% of the UK’s insect-pollinated crops relying on wild pollinators. Many species of bee, wasp, moth, butterfly, hoverfly, fly and beetle provide an essential service in the UK (and globally) pollinating £690 million worth of crops annually. Taking over this job ourselves would be difficult and time-consuming and would cost us an estimated £1.8 billion every year!
Why are pollinators under threat?
Three bumblebee species have become extinct in recent decades. The recent European Red List for Bees reports that almost one in ten species of wild bee face extinction, and over the past 50 years, half the bee, butterfly and moth species studied in the 2013 State of Nature Report have declined.
We can directly link these declines to changes in the way we farm. The intensification of agriculture has led to the destruction of habitat, and what is left is becoming increasingly fragmented. Further habitat loss is driven by urbanisation, and insect pollinators are also affected by the heavy use of pesticides and herbicides, more habitat the effects of climate change, and disease.
Clattinger Farm - Barney Wilczak
Where to see wildflower meadows
Wildflower meadows are prime pollinator habitat but we’ve lost 97% of them since the 1930s
What can you do to help?
Five simple actions 🐝
Here are five simple actions you can take at home to help pollinators:
- Plant for pollinators: Grow more nectar-rich flowers, shrubs and trees to provide for pollinators throughout the year.
- Let your garden grow wild: Leaving patches of land to grow wild let wildflowers grow and make great nesting and feeding sites.
- Put away the pesticide: They can harm pollinators and many other beneficial invertebrates. Consider alternatives and only use pesticides as a last resort.
- Leave the lawnmower: Cut your grass less often, and remove cuttings to let plants flower.
- Build a bee hotel and avoid disturbing or destroying nesting or hibernating insects in grass margins, bare soil, hedgerows, trees, dead wood or walls.