Plight of the Bumble Bee
Plight of the Bumble Bee
Our bees are in decline. Find out how you can help!
As you may have heard in the media recently, the
Bees are essential to the wildlife and fauna of the
Why are our bee species in decline?
There are a number of issues which are causing the problems:
- Habitat decline: Bumblebees may travel up to 1km from their nest, and each nest of around 400 individuals requires many hectares of flower rich habitat to sustain it. This type of habitat is rapidly disappearing as meadows, hedgerows and grasslands are destroyed.
- Use of pesticides: The use of pesticides in agriculture has boomed in the last century, and these pesticides are rarely selective in the insects that they kill.
- Climate Change: It is thought that wetter summers are preventing bees from being as active as they have been in the past.
- Varroa Mite: This parasitic mite can cause the complete destruction of Honeybee colonies and is considered to be one of the greatest threats to our bee population.
What can be done?
There are various ways that we can help to reverse this decline:
Make your garden more ‘bee friendly’
According to the Bumblebee Conservation Trust (BBCT), we need to create a mosaic of suitable flower rich habitats across the
You can also encourage Bumblebees in your garden by installing solitary bee hives or bumble bee nesting boxes. These can be purchased from us by visiting our section on wildlife and bird care, or you can even build your own by tying a bunch of short bamboo lengths together with a piece of string.
If you are feeling particularly adventurous and fancy taking up a fun new hobby, why not keep your own honey bees? Bee keeping is soaring in popularity and it can be extremely satisfying producing your own supply of honey. You don’t need much space to do this, and the conservation watchdog Natural England is even trying to persuade city dwellers to start their own bee colonies by setting up bee hives on roof terraces and balconies! One company, Omlet (who produce the extremely popular ‘Eglu’ chicken coop) has just launched a stylish bee hive aimed specifically at the urban beekeeper. The ‘Beehaus’ beehive is not cheap, but should suit busy city professionals with an ecological conscience! Be warned though, beekeeping does require dedication and commitment and should not be entered into lightly. You should always seek professional advice from your local beekeeping association before starting, and make sure you don’t annoy your neighbours!
Eat organically
Not only does organic food taste better, it is also better for our environment. If there is more demand for organically grown food, more farms will be able to convert to organic growing and we can reduce the amount of pesticides being pumped into our countryside. Why not go one step further by growing your own vegetables? Many vegetable varieties also rely on pollination by bees, so you are helping the bees in two ways!
Live green!
It is important, not just for the bee population, that we all alter our lifestyles to reduce our carbon emissions and in turn help to reduce the rate of climate change. Climate change is a reality and is occurring as you read this, however it doesn’t take huge changes in our lifestyle to make a difference. As gardener’s we are all helping in some way or another as it is, but there are many ways that we can reduce our energy consumption further.
How else can you get involved?
There are some great websites where you can learn more about the importance of bees and how you can help support our bee population. Here are just a few:
Birdie Bistro Feeder
A charming, attractive and stylish feeder for small birds.
Butterfly Feeding Station
Great for attracting pollinating insects to your garden.
Ladybird/Insect Tower
Keep the aphids away without resorting to pesticide!