There are unprecedented challenges facing the world, but our fragile food system would be put under even more strain if we lose our bees.
Put a bit of buzz into your garden: bees need all the help they can get
Bees pollinate 75per cent of our main food crops worldwide, but right now they are dying out fast.
Of Britain’s 26 bumblebee species, two are extinct and another eight are under threat, having suffered major declines.
A major reason for this is the loss of their natural habitat. They’ve lost 97per cent of wildflower meadows in the past 70 years. But disaster can be averted.
Even now, people are working together to help create bee-friendly spaces all over the country – and you can too.
In return for a donation, Friends of the Earth are offering to send you their Bee Saver Kit, “packed with everything you need to fight for our buzzy little friends”.
Your kit will contain a pack of beautiful wildflower seeds and simple information for you to easily create your own bee haven. And as well as boosting bees locally, your donation will help to fund research, educate people and mobilise more bee savers like you to carpet the country in wildflowers.
As we approach spring time, this is exactly the right time of year to make your garden or nearby open space more pollinator friendly.
Bees pollinate flowers, plants and crops that support other species (including humans). Without bees, the future well-being of our children and grandchildren would be at risk.
Three reasons Britain’s bees need your help today:
- The loss of habitat is one of the most pressing problems facing British bees: they’ve lost 97per cent of their flower-rich habitats in the past 60 years.
- Bees pollinate 75per cent of our main food crops worldwide, including some of our favourite produce like apples, strawberries and tomatoes.
- Scientists estimated in 2012 that it would cost over £1.8billion every single year to pollinate UK crops by hand.
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It is difficult to imagine what on earth Gavin Barwell has done to merit being elevated to membership of the House of Lords. He clearly did not understand the rules governing his status, suggesting that he isn’t fit to hold such responsibility. His leave of absence from the Lords should be made permanent.
The bumblebees are out throughout the winter, so plant winter flowering shrubs like the shrubby honeysuckle. They also like hellebores, which are coming into flower now.