Botanic Garden of Wales – “We use our DNA barcoding expertise and extensive horticultural resource to research the floral preferences of both honey bees and wild pollinators …”
Surveying
We need more data on bees and other insects :-
Bumblebee Conservation Trust
https://www.bumblebeeconservation.org/surveys/
An overview of survey opportunities.
BeeWalk
https://www.beewalk.org.uk/
Count bumblebees seen once a month on a 2km walk.
UK Pollinator Monitoring Scheme (PoMS).
https://www.ceh.ac.uk/our-science/projects/pollinator-monitoring
Count the number of insects visiting a patch of flowers for 10 minutes.
Flower-Insect Timed Count (FIT Count).
iRecord
https://www.brc.ac.uk/irecord/enter-casual-record
Record seeing a single species.
iSpot
https://www.ispotnature.org/
Get help identifing a single species.
SEWBReC South East Wales Biodiversity Records Centre
http://www.sewbrec.org.uk/
Enter records of species seen in South East Wales.
Wales Biodiversity Partnership
https://www.biodiversitywales.org.uk/Monitoring
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‘Bee-killing’ pesticide now will not be used on UK sugar beet fields
A Guardian newspaper article:-
“A pesticide which reduces bee populations and was to be used in England’s sugar beet fields this year will not be used after recent cold weather killed off virus-transmitting aphids…..”
Bee Species Down by 25% since 1990
The Guardian newspaper says:-
“The number of wild bee species recorded by an international database of life on Earth has declined by a quarter since 1990, according to a global analysis of bee declines. They found a steep decline in bee species being recorded since 1990, with approximately 25% fewer species reported between 2006 and 2015 than before the 1990s…..”
https://www.cell.com/one-earth/fulltext/S2590-3322(20)30651-5
Plantlife – Road Verge Campaign Success
Plantlife – “With many mowers kept away during the Spring lockdown, lots of road verges were allowed the chance to burst into flower. This delightful show of the botanical potential of verges on our doorsteps inspired and encouraged many more people to lobby your councils to change verge management regimes for the better… “
“Honeybees can calculate probability…”
New Scientist article 2nd Sept 2020 :- “Honeybees can calculate probability, but it seems they don’t use it the same way we tend to… ” Bees “… matched the proportion of visits with the probability of getting sweet water, so for flowers with 66 per cent odds of sugar, they visited them roughly two-thirds of the time. This is known as probability matching…”
‘Reversing the decline of insects’
The Wildlife Trusts have published a new report ‘Reversing the decline of insects’ which shows how people, in every part of society, wherever they live, can take action to bring back insects. Everyone, everywhere, is being asked to become an insect champion.
The report cites examples of farmers, communities, councils and charities that are boosting insect populations and proving that it can be done.
The report comes at a critical time for insects. There is ongoing evidence for insect declines and the future of insects – and all life that depends on them – hangs in the balance as trade deals threaten to increase the use of insect-harming pesticides. Furthermore, the Agriculture Bill is progressing through Parliament presenting a unique opportunity to ensure farmers pursue insect-friendly farming methods.
The publication follows the ‘Insect declines and why they matter’ report, launched last year, which examined mounting evidence that insect populations are close to collapse and concluded that “the consequences are clear; if insect declines are not halted, terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems will collapse, with profound consequences for human wellbeing.”
https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/news/new-report-calls-ambitious-pesticide-reduction-target
A Bee Friendly Garden
Insects are in trouble according to Prof Dave Goulson and he believes gardeners have an important role to play in reversing their decline. Dave Goulson’s garden is a good example.
EU to end the export of banned agrochemicals to Third World countries
As reported by Greenpeace the EU has pledged to bring to an end the deplorable practice of sending thousands of tonnes of pesticides and herbicides which are banned in Europe to poor third world countries with weaker regulations.
The UK is a major exporter of these banned pesticides but this new proposed legislation won’t apply to us as we are no longer members of the EU.
Many of these banned agrochemicals pose a threat to bees and other pollinators, not to mention people. For example the herbicide Paraquat is manufactured for Syngenta in its factory here in Huddersfield. We are not the only culprits, however, as 10 other EU countries, including Germany and France, are guilty of exporting similar prohibited chemicals.
The date set for action is 2023.
Will the UK follow suit?
https://unearthed.greenpeace.org/2020/10/15/eu-banned-pesticide-exports-public-eye/
Promote wildlife and have a profitable arable farm
Farmers Weekly 11th Sept 20 has an article about an RSPB owned commercial arable farm.
In 2019, the farm was benchmarked against other local farm businesses and though crops varied in profitability, this was typical compared to the other farms.
!n 2019, the farm went completely insecticide free and saw no reduction in yields compared with previous years, making small savings on the products.
One quote:-
“Though we had aphids in the beans last year, there were loads of ladybirds and larvae too, and within 10 days there were only ladybirds left and the beans didn’t suffer at all,”
The farm is planting wildflower corridors through fields to increase access to beneficial insects, compost spreading and sowing cover crops as part of the Centre of Ecology and Hydrology and Rothamsted Research’s Achieving Sustainable Agricultural Systems programme.
