Welsh Black Bees

We have our first bees. Details to follow…

Many species of bee are on the brink of extinction in parts of the UK – and some types have been lost entirely, a report has found.

Climate change, habitat loss, pollution and disease are threatening the pollinators, the analysis of 228 species concluded.

It discovered that 17 species were regionally extinct – including the Great Yellow Bumblebee, the Potter Flower Bee and the Cliff Mason Bee – with 25 types threatened and another 31 of conservation concern.

The bee’s pollinating services are worth £690m a year to the UK economy.

Published on World Bee Day, the ‘Bees Under Siege’ report by WWF and Buglife recommends a number of conservation actions to help reverse declines:

• Ensure that coastal management plans protect coastal habitats and promote the management of sea walls
• Safeguard wildlife-rich brownfield sites and promote beneficial management
• Identify opportunities to connect disjointed habitat fragments and promote coordinated management between landowners and landholdings
• Local authorities can work with and support local communities in urban areas to restore and create new habitats
• Ongoing survey and monitoring of bee populations
• Maintain and increase awareness, advice, support and funding for practical delivery projects.
• The report also called on the new Westminster Environment Bill to be “ambitious enough” to develop a nature recovery network for bees.

The original article in The Independent can be found here.