Bumblebees are among the most endearing and familiar of our insects; the sight and sound of bees droning methodically from flower to flower is a quintessential part of a summer’s day.
Sadly, changes to the farmed countryside have not been kind to our bumblebees. The number of species found in most of lowland Britain has halved since 1950. Three species have gone nationally extinct and several more may follow in the near future unless we act quickly!
The reason that bumblebees have declined in the countryside is simple:
Bees feed exclusively on pollen and nectar, and there are far fewer flowers in the countryside than there once were. Hedges have been grubbed up and marshes drained. In particular, unimproved grasslands, which are rich in wildflowers, have been almost entirely swept away, replaced by silage and cereal fields.
Bumblebees are fascinating and beautiful creatures that deserve conserving in their own right; however, there are also pressing ecological and economic reasons to halt their declines.
Bumblebees are major pollinators of a majority of our flora; if bumblebees continue to disappear these plants will set less seed, potentially resulting in gradual but sweeping changes to the countryside.
These changes will have catastrophic knock-on effects for other wildlife dependent on these plants.
Bumblebees are also of commercial importance, being vital to the agricultural industry for crop pollination.
Products are available to assist the bumblebee:
The Bumble Bee Nester in our picture is constructed from thick durable timber (Cedar/Larch). It is important that nesting bees are kept dry.
There is a hinged roof, which can be opened to reveal an internal viewing window. The box comes supplied with dry nesting material.
The nester should be sited low down in a hedge, or wall in a sheltered south facing position. RRP £18.95.
Web – Ecotopia Ltd: http://www.ecotopia.co.uk/product/41/bb0108/bumble-bee-nester.html
Tel: 0845 094 2181