Could Gardens Offer Hope To Ailing Bees ?

The world’s bees are quickly approaching a crises point! Many species of bee are now on international endangered species lists, literally teetering on the verge of extinction, but why and how could gardeners help?

Over the last four winters, beekeepers have experienced some of their worst losses in a generation, in some cases up to 70% of their hive colonies have simply died. Here in the British Isles, we have been hit less hard than in the United States, where the cause for these dramatic losses has been given the term ‘Colony Collapse Disorder’ (CCD). And Apiculture scientists around the world are busily trying to identify the main causes of CCD, but so far indications suggest that it is caused by a number of factors: general habitat loss, intensive farming practices and perhaps pesticide usage, to name but a few.

Honey bees, in particular, are affected by a number of parasitic diseases (Varroa Mite), microbial diseases (Foulbrood and Nosema diseases) and predatory attacks (from Hornets, Wasps & Moths) that our native Solitary bees and Bumblebees are not.

There are about 250 bee species in the British Isles, most of which are Solitary bees, many of which look like flies or because of their minute size, go almost entirely unrecognised. Then there are the 25 more easily recognised hairy Bumblebees and finally the European Honey bee and our own native Black Honey bee. All play a pivotal role in the world’s food chain, including ours.

1 in 3 mouthfuls of the food we eat is pollinated by bees. With vegetables such as tomatoes, beans and potatoes almost entirely dependent upon pollination by bees, so too are fruits like Blackcurrants, Gooseberries, Cherries and Apples.

More worryingly, 84% of native British plants, which sustain our whole eco-systems, need native Solitary bees and Bumblebees to pollinate them too.

The one thing that all types of bee have in common is their need for two crucial things: Nectar and Pollen, gathered from a variety of plants, flowers and crops, and without which they would simply starve to death. So allotments, vegetable gardens and orchards can and do provide a great supply of food for all types of bees.

We don’t all have to rush out and become fully fledged beekeepers to help or even keep bees. As a nation of ‘gardeners’, we have something like 1 million hectares of gardens that are ideally placed to provide a greater variety of food source for bees, all year round, than most intensively farmed land ever could.

From the early flowering Mahonias and Crocuses, to the winter flowering Ivy, a garden could provide an endless source of food throughout the year. From a window sill or a balcony, with some herbs such as Chives or Lavender, through courtyard or cottages gardens to country estates with their Horse Chestnut Trees and wildflower meadows; every plant helps.

Urban beekeepers often say that their bees produce more honey than their ‘country’ cousins, and this is put down to urban or village gardens providing a greater variety and intensity of plants coming into flower for longer, throughout the year.

Our gardens, large or small, can also provide homes for all types of Solitary bees and Bumblebees.

Simply by tidying up less, cutting out pesticides, leaving some old logs in a pile, or letting a small patch to grow slightly scruffy and wild. Each will provide potential nesting sites that will reward the keen gardener with their own pollinating service and endless hours of watching them buzz about the garden.

Bumblebees often find the underside of a garden shed irresistible, or they’ll take over abandoned mouse holes or even to occupy old bird nesting boxes and will rarely sting, unless severely provoked.

Whereas, boring holes into old logs or blocks of untreated wood and providing nesting tubes using old bamboo canes, or stems from various garden plants, provides tantalisingly attractive ‘homes’ for the perfectly harmless and stingless Solitary bees, such as Mason or Leafcutter bees.

Every garden can provide a sanctuary, for all types of bees, from the stresses and strains of modern life. It just takes a few more of the right plants and a little extra thought.

Written with thanks by Help Save Bees: Dedicated to raising awareness of the plight of all types of bees. All photographs Help Save the Bees.

Website www.helpsavebees.co.uk

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