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Bees Bee-friendly pollination and flowers
by MICHELLE KIGHT
Bumblebees are very decline continues, the
With warmer weather comes the important for pollinating extremely high cost of
inevitable buzz of spring and summer: Did you know? wildflowers and fruits: many pollinating these plants
the bumblebee. commercial crops such as by other means could
Dandelions are often the first tomatoes, peas, apples and significantly increase the
Currently, there are 24 species source of food for bees in a new strawberries, are helped cost of fruit and vegetables
of bumblebee in the UK, just one season, so don’t use pesticides on by pollinators and insects (hand-pollinating British
species of honeybee, and over them. Save them and give our bee are estimated to contribute crops has been estimated to
250 species of solitary bee. friends an additional boost at the over £600 million per cost £1.8 billion annually).
start of the year. annum to the UK economy.
Eight species of bumblebee You can help by planting
(a third of those remaining) The Bumblebee flowers like borage,
are currently listed on at least Conservation Trust warns hellebore, lungwort, comfrey
one of the English, Welsh and Tree Bumblebee that, if the bumblebee and catmint in the shade,
Scottish conservation priority whilst herbs, crocuses,
species lists due to their lavender, geraniums,
large-scale declines in honeysuckles and sunflowers
distribution. are perfect food for bees in
the sun.
Did you know? Don’t forget to check toxicity
of flowers before planting
The spring temperatures as some varieties can be
awaken hibernating harmful to pets and children.
queen bees. After she
wakes and feeds, she Certain plants have flower
starts to look for a shapes that bumblebees
suitable nest site. cannot use - some flowers
This can be anything from have petals that form long
a hole in the ground to a tunnels which are too long
bird box, or even under a or narrow for the bees to
garden shed. feed from. Similarly, flowers
Tree Bumblebee Red-tailed Bumblebee Buff-tailed Bumblebee with multiple tightly packed
heads offer bees very little
Seven species of bumblebee According to the Bumblebee Bumblebees only feed on They say: “Pollinator-friendly “Wild bees – bumble and accessible food.
(the ‘Big Seven’) are Conservation Trust, declines flowers, requiring enough gardening is very important solitary bees – are therefore
widespread across most of in our bumblebee populations flowers to sustain a colony of whether you have a balcony, essential for pollination and Other flowers may not
Britain, including the Rochdale have occurred mainly because hundreds over several months. a window box, a big garden, a food production.” be suitable because they
borough, and can be seen in of large-scale changes to Rarer species don’t venture road verge or a park. produce little or no pollen
your local gardens and parks: countryside management, far to forage, needing large and nectar, such as pansies
red-tailed bumblebee (Bombus including a public demand for quantities of diverse flowers to “Although people often Did you know? and double begonias.
lapidarius), early bumblebee cheap food, a constant demand sustain their colonies. champion honeybees, which
(Bombus pratorum), common for food and crops, not to are mainly domesticated, Bumblebees won’t die You should avoid using any
carder bee (Bombus mention less wildflowers. The Bumblebee Conservation the honeybee only visits a if they sting you, unlike pesticides in your garden.
pascuorum), white-tailed Trust, a charity dedicated to proportion of plant: recent honeybees. They are often labelled as
bumblebee (Bombus lucorum), 97% of flower-rich meadows increasing the numbers and research showed about 7% of Whilst bees are not ‘bug killers’ or something
buff-tailed bumblebee have been lost since 1937, distribution of bumblebees, flower visits were honeybees aggressive, it’s only similar, but almost all of
(Bombus terrestris), garden just one action to have says the easiest way to help across gardens, parks, road female bees that can these can harm bumblebees,
bumblebee (Bombus hortorum) detrimentally affected our bumblebees is to plant verges, nature reserves and sting, as male bees do even if you don’t intend to
and tree bumblebee bumblebee numbers. wildflowers to flower between crops. not have a stinger. harm them.
(Bombus hypnorum). March and September.
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