Supporting Our Pollinators

We often get asked by individuals and businesses about keeping bees for biodiversity. Keeping a colony of honey bees requires free time, a good knowledge of how the colony operates and how to spot pests and diseases. Honey bees are livestock which need to be cared for. You may have thoughts of keeping one colony of bees in your garden or place of work, but honeybees have a natural drive to swarm and one hive quickly becomes two or more, or 20,000 bees set off from the hive before settling somewhere nearby, sometimes more than once. Bees sting; depending on the colony and conditions within the hive, an overzealous guard bee could sting anyone in the vicinity of the hive. A bee sting can be painful at best or cause anaphylaxis at worst. Most beekeepers, however, find beekeeping a hugely rewarding hobby or business, even when mid-season, it can feel a little chaotic and full of surprises. If you’d still like to explore beekeeping as a hobby further, please get in touch with our Membership Secretary to join.

However, there are many other ways to help biodiversity and to ‘save the bees’.  Our wild pollinators are under threat. Faced with pressures that include habitat fragmentation, changes in land use, disease, pesticides, invasive species and climate change. 

In the UK, there are around 270 species of bees; approximately 90% of those are solitary species. Our solitary bees are excellent pollinators and come in many shapes and sizes, some as tiny as 2-3mm.  In Scotland, the most common are Halictus, Osmia Andrena, Megachile and Colletes.  Solitary bees nest in the ground or disused holes in walls.  The Mason bees can be found entering small holes and gaps in brickwork and using soil to encase their young, which will emerge the following year. They cause no harm whatsoever to buildings, as some may believe. Although the females can sting, it is very rare for this to happen.

Other bees include our bumble bees, of which there are 24 species in the UK, most of which are social, meaning they live together in a small colony, from Spring till Autumn.

Hoverflies, as adults, feed exclusively on nectar and pollen, which makes them incredibly important pollinators.  Adult hoverflies pollinate 70% of our wild flowers in the UK and numerous crops (around 50% of all crop pollination worldwide).

Other very beneficial pollinators are our wasp species, which feed mostly on nectar and fruit. The adult wasps take caterpillars, flies and spiders to feed their young; they are nature’s very own pest control.

So how can you help ‘save the bees’ or should we say pollinators?

  • Create pollinator-friendly habitats, such as bee hotels, log piles, leave an unmown section of lawn, and reduce or stop using pesticides in your garden.

    If you are a business, consider a green roof or wall, planting the grounds with a wild flower mix, great for staff and customers to look at as well as attracting pollinators.

  • Bluebell, Bugle, Comfrey, Crocus,
    Hellebores, Lungwort, Berberis, Blackthorn, Broom, Apple, Forsythia, Hawthorn, Hazel, Mahonia, Wild cherry, Rowan, Willow, Cowslip, Dandelion, Dead-nettle.

  • Allium, Aquilegia, Borage, Catmint,
    Columbine, Cosmos, Delphinium,
    Foxglove, Globe-thistle, Lavender,
    Lupin, Nasturtium, Oregano, Poppy, Scabious, Snapdragon, Sweet pea, Thyme, Verbena, Viper’s bugloss, Bramble, Honeysuckle, Laburnum,
    Rosa Rugosa, Viburnum, Bird’s-foot-trefoil, Clovers, Devil’s
    Bit Scabious, Geranium, Knapweed,  Oxeye daisy, Speedwell, Thistle,
    Vetch, Yarrow, Yellow Rattle.

  • Aster, Button snakewort, Cornflower, Sedum, Hebe, Ivy, Autumn hawkbit, Clovers, Vetch, Heather.

  • It’s always good for pollinators to leave an undisturbed patch of grass where dandelions and other wild flowers can grow.

  • Having flowers in your garden in June can help bridge the gap between the end of the spring blooms and the beginning of summer, a time when many pollinators can struggle.

  • Hedges can provide all kinds of wildlife with ‘life’, many species may nest at the base; a living fence. Plants to consider; hazel, willow, blackthorn and hawthorn.

  • Bee-friendly flowers are the best option; however, bees often just stop for a rest. Bumble queens can rest for 30 -45 mins and are just fine if left.

  • This is not something we would ever recommend for the reasons stated below.

    • Honey can carry pathogens which can kill an entire colony or colonies. Honeybees and bumble bees could be affected.

    • Most honey found in our shops is blended from a variety of locations, often different countries, there is no way of telling if the bees which made the honey carried a disease.

    • The same is true of any locally purchased honey.

    • The only honey suitable for honeybees is the honey they produce.

  • We would urge you to get in touch with our secretary, we may be able to connect you with a local experienced beekeeper who would be happy to keep bees at your business location should it prove to be a suitable bee location. Suitable locations can include roof tops, gardens, unused land. Please be aware, a beekeeper would need access at all times. You can read more here.

    It is strongly encouraged that you consider working with someone local who already has locally adapted bees to avoid introducing negative genetic traits or disease into the local area.

    Does it cost?

    For simply keeping bees on your premises, not usually, but this is decided between you and your beekeeper, depending on what expectations you both have.

  • If you wish to keep honeybees, please source them locally to avoid introducing disease variants or unwanted genetic traits. EMBA can help our members with this.