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A thought for the humble-bumbles and our other pollinating pals

Here at Shropshire Petals, we love this time of year when our fields are in full bloom and full of buzzing wildlife.  Bees are very welcome in our fields as good pollination is important to our flower field development and likewise, our flowers are important to increasing the bee population.  We recently got in touch with the Bumblebee Conservation Trust to give us some information about our buzzing friends to share with you.  We are pleased to welcome Darryl Cox from the Bumblebee Conservation Trust to guest feature on today's blog:

Common_carder_bee__Bombus_pascuorum

Common carder bee (Bombus pascuorum) about to land on lavender.

A world without bumblebees would be a very different world than the one we live in today. Crop yields would be greatly reduced, food prices would most probably rise and the number of people suffering from malnourishment would no doubt rise too. Bumblebees are really that important.

Buff_tailed_bumblebee__Bombus_terrestris

Buff-tail bumblebee (Bombus terrestris) queen visiting a crocus.

Scientists say that on average one in every three mouthfuls of what we eat is pollinated by insects and it is the most nutritious stuff that they are responsible for – tomatoes, beans, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, apples, pears, and almonds to name but a few. They even play a hand in creating the shirts on our backs – by aiding the pollination of cotton. Of all of the insects carrying out this invaluable service; bumblebees are probably our most productive. They are perfect for our climate, built to withstand wind, rain and cold; they battle through the elements to collect nectar and pollen to feed their relatives, pollinating crops and precious wildflowers as they go. They also have special skills and adaptations which mean they can feed from a wider variety of flowers than other insects – meaning they can provide their pollination services for multiple floral clients.

Bumblebees may carry the flowery flag for floral fertilisation, but they are by no means the only pollinators on our UK shores. Our 25 resident bumblebee species have many co-habiting cousins, including the honeybee and over 225 solitary bees which all play their role, and we cannot forget the moths, butterflies, hoverflies, wasps, flies, and beetles which all help contribute to making sure our wildflowers and crops continue to flourish.

White_tailed_bumblebee__Bombus_lucorum_queen

White-tailed bumblebee (Bombus lucorum) worker visiting a globe thistle

The fact is that without bumblebees and other pollinators; many of our plants would find reproduction a struggle, causing irreversible problems for animals which rely on them for food and shelter – including ourselves. Sadly this scenario is more real than it should be, over the last 80 years, two bumblebee species have gone extinct from our shores and a third of our social bumblebee species have declined by over to 70%. This is mostly down to habitat loss which has been driven by changes in agricultural practices. It has been estimated that we have lost over a staggering 97% of our wildflower rich grassland meadows since the 1940’s, leaving our precious pollinators with little to feed on. When combined with new pressures like climate change, pesticide exposure, and the threats from parasites and diseases, the future is looking rather grim for our flower-visiting friends.

Vane_Farm

Wildflower areas like this have declined dramatically in the last 80 years, leaving bumblebees and other pollinators with very little to feed on

However, all is not lost.

The Bumblebee Conservation Trust and its members, volunteers and supporters are dedicated to reversing these declines and protecting bumblebees and other pollinators for future generations. They are working towards a future filled with colourful wildflowers in which pollinating insects and the ecosystems they provide for are able to thrive – and we can all play our part too. Bees need flowers and flowers need bees – it’s called a symbiotic relationship and it is one that we should all be desperately keen to support. You don’t need much space to be able to help – even a window box will do, and you can find out exactly which flowers are best to use by using the Bumblebee Conservation Trust’s free BeeKind tool.

This year, like Shropshire Petals, the Bumblebee Conservation Trust is celebrating its 10th year anniversary and is hoping to grow its membership base of like-minded people, with a genuine concern for the future of these charismatic insects to 10,000 members. To find out more about the Bumblebee Conservation Trust and how you can support this vital work, please visit www.bumblebeeconservation.org.

By Darryl Cox, Science and Policy Officer, Bumblebee Conservation Trust

Thank you Darryl for sharing that with us.

Love as always, SP x x  

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Awards

Shropshire Petals have been recognised for their innovation, quality products and outstanding customer service with several awards including the British Farming Awards, here's a few recent awards.

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