Saving our bees
White-tailed bumblebee © Penny Frith
Our bees are in crisis
Two British species have gone extinct since the start of the 21st century, with more on the brink every year.
We need our bees
Britain’s bees are among the 1500 pollinator species that are essential to our food production. Without them the price of British apples could double, and other foods would disappear altogether from our dinner plates. More importantly, they’re vital to our local ecosystems, helping our wild flowers and plants grow and spread.
Pesticides and habitat loss
However toxic chemicals like neonicotinoids are poisoning our wild and honey bees, causing colonies to collapse. At the same time a staggering 98% loss of wildflower-rich habitats mean food sources are becoming harder and harder for them to find. It’s a perfect storm.
Campaigning for a ban on toxic neonicotinoids
Nationally we’re also campaigning for a UK-wide ban on toxic neonicotinoids, which are seriously harming our bees. And locally we’re raising awareness of what we can all do to help bees in our patch.
Find out more about our campaigning work to protect other species, and our work to improve land use for wildlife.
Marjoram © Clive Chatters
Helping our bees
At the Wildlife Trusts we’ve been restoring wild places for bees and butterflies across the two counties, both on our nature reserves and beyond.
We are transforming Barton Meadows Nature Reserve from an agricultural field into a wildflower haven for pollinators. We have re-seeded 28 hectares of the site with traditional wildflowers like birdsfoot trefoil, meadow buttercup and greater knapweed. Over time these will feed and provide shelter for a wide range of bees, butterflies and other pollinators, for years to come.