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) 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-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) 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.
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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