What can we do to help save the WeeBees?
In order to conserve our remaining bumblebee populations, and, if possible, restore them to something like their past abundance, we must provide them with the habitats they need to flourish. This cannot be achieved with existing nature reserves alone. Bumblebee nests are large, containing up to 400 workers, each of which travels more than 1 km from the colony in search of suitable flowers. Each nest needs a large area of suitable flower-rich habitat, meaning that to support a healthy population which is viable in the long term, large areas of land must be managed sympathetically.
UK nature reserves are simply too small. The only way to provide sufficient areas of habitat for bumblebees is if the wider farmed countryside and the vast areas covered by suburban gardens are managed in a suitable way. To do this we need to:
- Encourage farmers to adopt appropriate agri-environmental schemes. These actually benefit farmers by improving crop yields at the same time as enriching the countryside.
- Support the replanting of hedgerows and the recreation of hay meadows and flower-rich grasslands.
- Use wildflowers and traditional cottage-garden plants in gardens nationwide.
