The Guardian reports widespread loss of pollinating insects in recent decades has been revealed by the first national survey in Britain, which scientists say “highlights a fundamental deterioration” in nature.
Wild bees and hoverflies lost from a quarter of the places they were found in 1980, study shows.
Tag Archives: bees
Bumblebees thrive in towns more than countryside
The Guardian writes on new research revealing the differences between urban and rural bumblebees.
“Urban bumblebees have better access to food, allowing them to produce more offspring. Bumblebees are important pollinators, but face threats including habitat loss, climate change, pesticide and fungicid
Now researchers say that bumblebee colonies in urban areas not only produce more offspring than those on agricultural land, but have more food stores, fewer invasions from parasitic “cuckoo” bumblebees, and survive for longer.”
[Photo by Jice75 under creative commons https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/]
It’s National Insect Week – count bees to help protect pollinators
It’s National Insect Week! You can celebrate the wonder of insects and take part in the Great British Bee Count.
Set up by Friends of the Earth, and supported by Buglife, this count has run since 17 May and will continue until 30 June. Download the app to make a note and report any bumblebees and solitary bees you see. It has a handy guide for identification as well as advise on how to create habitats for pollinators.
[Photo by Rob Gallop under creative commons
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/2.0/legalcode]