Importance Score: 65 / 100 🔴
Simple Tips for a Bee-Friendly Garden: Public Concern Grows Over Bee Population Decline (Image: Getty)
As spring blossoms into life and summer approaches, nature awakens, bringing with it a flurry of wildlife, including butterflies, ladybirds, and essential pollinators like bees. However, alarming reports indicate a significant decline in UK bee populations, driven by factors such as habitat destruction, pesticide use, and the escalating effects of climate change. Creating a bee-friendly garden is now more important than ever to support these vital insects.
A recent study by WWF has highlighted the severity of this issue, revealing the regional extinction of 17 bee species in the east of England. This stark finding underscores the critical threat facing native bee species. Further investigation by 100Green’s garden specialists has uncovered widespread public concern, with a survey showing that two-thirds (69%) of UK adults are deeply worried about the diminishing bee population.
The research also indicated that older generations express greater apprehension, with three-quarters (78%) of individuals over 65 voicing concern, compared to just over half (56%) of younger adults aged 18-24.
Intriguingly, the study pointed to a gap in public understanding regarding the essential role bees play in the environment. Approximately one in five (21%) admitted to a lack of comprehension about bees’ impact on the planet, despite four in five (80%) acknowledging their critical importance to our ecosystem.
Furthermore, the survey showed that only slightly over half (57%) of 18-24 year olds recognize bees’ significance to the ecosystem. This highlights a pressing need for enhanced education among younger demographics about the vital role of bees in our ecosystem and the broader global environment. After all, bee pollination underpins a significant portion of our planet’s food production.
Discover how to cultivate a bee garden at home and support local wildlife (Image: Jacky Parker Photography/Getty)
Government reports have previously emphasized the pivotal role of bees in UK food production, estimating their annual contribution to farming and the food sector at approximately £500 million. But how does this translate to our everyday grocery shopping and food security?
Disturbingly, additional research by 100Green indicates that over half (54%) of the common fruits purchased by UK consumers rely on bees and other pollinators for their production, suggesting a significant impact on food availability should bee populations continue to decline.
In light of these findings, green energy specialists have joined forces with the floral experts at Peony & Pose to offer practical advice on how UK residents can develop bee-friendly gardens. These gardens serve as crucial habitats to bolster wildlife and combat the ongoing bee population crisis. Here are expert recommendations to guide you.
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Creating Your Bee-Friendly Garden
Enhance Garden Diversity with Colour and Variety
“Introducing a wide array of flowers and plants into your garden is highly advantageous for UK pollinators, as it provides them with a balanced and varied diet. If you maintain a vegetable patch, incorporating diverse flowers can boost your crop yield and naturally manage weeds, creating mutual benefits for both your garden and local bee populations.
“When selecting flowers specifically for bees, remember that bees exhibit enhanced visual perception of purple hues. Consequently, flowers such as catmint, scabious, lavender, verbena, and alliums are particularly attractive and beneficial for attracting bees to your garden.”
Grow Edible Delights for You and Pollinators
“The initial step in attracting wildlife to your garden environment is to cultivate bee-attracting flora. Bees display a particular preference for many common herbs. Allowing your outdoor herbs, including mint, thyme, and oregano, to flower will provide a valuable food source for foraging bees.”
Strategic Garden Planning for Year-Round Support
“Certain bee species emerge as early as February, highlighting the importance of early-season nectar sources. Remember to plant spring bulbs, such as crocus and daffodils, during the autumn months to provide crucial early forage for these emergent pollinators.”
Eliminate Pesticide Use
“While pesticides may appear to offer a quick solution for managing weeds and unwanted insects in your garden, it’s crucial to recognise that these chemicals pose a significant threat not only to plants but also to local wildlife. Instead of relying on harmful pesticides, consider manual weed removal when necessary and implement preventative pest control strategies for common garden pests like slugs.”
Simple Starter Plants for Novice Gardeners
“For those new to gardening, rest assured that numerous flowers are remarkably easy to cultivate and maintain. Sunflowers are an excellent choice, providing enjoyment for the entire family and often sparking friendly competition. Lavender, a key plant for bees, is also notably resilient and thrives well in containers, in addition to its delightful fragrance.
“Prioritizing native flower species will further improve your gardening success and benefit local ecosystems. Foxgloves are a classic choice for an English garden; bees are particularly drawn to their tubular flower shape, and they demonstrate adaptability to various growing conditions, including both full sun and shaded areas.”
Providing Assistance to Bees in Your Garden
If you encounter a bee that appears to be struggling or fatigued in your garden, there are simple first aid steps you can take. Tired bees are often found on pavements or grass. Here’s how to help:
Carefully lift the bee using a piece of paper or a leaf and relocate it to a safe, sheltered spot. You can place the bee on a flower to see if it will feed on pollen, but it might be too weak initially.
If the bee does not feed from a flower, prepare a simple sugar-water solution to provide essential energy. Place a few small drops of this mixture near the bee and observe as its proboscis extends to drink it. This sugary solution should quickly revitalize the bee, enabling it to resume its pollination activities in your garden.
Pollinator Dependency: Many Common Foods at Risk (Image: 100Green)
The Vital Role of Bees: Why They Matter
According to a statement from 100Green’s website: “UK Government reports underscore that bees are fundamental to food production, contributing approximately £500 million annually to UK farming and the food industry. Bees, alongside other pollinators such as wasps and beetles, play a vital role in pollinating UK-grown fruits, with many supermarket staples heavily reliant on these industrious insects for their propagation and growth.”
The statement continues: “To fully understand the potential consequences for our daily lives, we examined various food categories for their dependence on pollination. Should bees and other pollinating insects disappear, foods highly dependent on pollinators could vanish from supermarket shelves and disrupt natural ecosystems. Our findings revealed that this includes popular items such as almonds, blueberries, mangoes, and pumpkins – even jeopardizing certain Halloween traditions and recipes.”
“Analyzing a typical UK shopping basket, our research indicated that we could lose 10% of the usual products if bee extinction were to occur. The absence of bees would disproportionately affect our consumption of fruits and nuts, as these food groups exhibit the highest reliance on pollinators.”
“Looking specifically at the standard UK shopping basket, our analysis determined that half (54%) of the fruit items typically purchased have a ‘high dependency’ on pollinators. This means we could lose access to these common and nutritious foods. Examining the broader importance of bees reveals the substantial impact their disappearance would have on our weekly grocery shop and food availability.”
The study highlights that the disappearance of bees would deprive UK households of essential staples like kiwis, raspberries, and melons. Moreover, it would impact the availability of processed foods like jams and, of course, natural honey. Even items with a lower degree of pollinator dependence would feel the impact of bee loss:
- Cashew milk (due to cashew nut pollination dependency)
- Almond milk (due to almond pollination dependency)
- Pumpkin seeds
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Exploring the Impact of Bee Decline on Human Wellbeing
The potential scarcity of these fruits would not only alter our shopping habits but also negatively impact our health, particularly concerning vital vitamin C intake. Dr Rimas Geiga, Registered Dietician and Clinical Nutritionist (RDN) at Glow Bar London, discussed with 100Green the crucial role of vitamin C and the implications of its deficiency.
Dr Geiga emphasized: “I must stress the paramount importance of vitamin C for human health. This nutrient is far more than just an immune system booster. It is a fundamental biochemical requirement for numerous physiological processes. Unlike many animal species, humans lack the necessary enzymes to synthesize vitamin C, making dietary consumption absolutely essential.”
“One of its most vital functions is in collagen synthesis. Without sufficient vitamin C, collagen production diminishes, leading to weakened skin, fragile blood vessels, and impaired wound healing. I want to emphasize that this is not merely a cosmetic concern but a structural one, affecting everything from bone integrity to cardiovascular function. Deficiency has been linked to an increased risk of aneurysms and arterial damage, highlighting its critical role in vascular health.”
She further added: “Vitamin C is also a key factor in iron absorption. Iron deficiency anaemia, especially in individuals following plant-based diets, can often be attributed to insufficient vitamin C intake rather than inadequate iron itself. Vitamin C enhances non-heme iron absorption, rendering it indispensable for those with dietary restrictions.”
“Clinically, I often observe that subclinical vitamin C deficiency is frequently overlooked. Early indicators such as fatigue, irritability, and slow recovery from infections are often misinterpreted. A deficiency does not manifest abruptly but rather develops gradually, undermining long-term health. This is why I strongly advocate that consistent vitamin C intake is absolutely non-negotiable for maintaining optimal health.”