BECOME    A BEE'S BEST FRIEND

 

Bees pollinate nearly three quarters of the plants that produce 90% of the world's food. A third of the world's food production depends on bees. Every third spoonful of food you eat depends on bees and pollination

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Bees are in decline on a global scale as they face many threats, from habitat loss to the use of toxic pesticides. Many of the threats to bees share parallels with the threats to trees and forests, so saving bees goes hand-in-hand with saving trees. If these threats aren’t brought under control, we could be looking at a future without bees.

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An increase in urban developments and invasive farming methods has meant that many of the areas bees once called home no longer exist. These developments are as much a threat to bees as they are to trees and forests. In the wild, several species of bees, nest in hollow trees, so as more trees are destroyed so are the homes these bees live in. Wildflower meadows and other areas abundant in flowering plants, are also in serious decline, meaning that bees lose an important food resource.

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One of the easiest ways to help out bees, is by planting lots of bee-friendly flowers in your garden. Bees favour a wide range of flowering plants, including foxglove, birdsfoot trefoil and red clover, which you can grow easily.

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Bees need shelter to nest and hibernate in. You can create your own shelter or buy a ready-made bee hotel – just hang it up in a sunny sheltered spot in your garden and watch bees filling the tubes during the spring and summer months.