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Bees’ needs: support for pollinators

Posted at July 18, 2014 | By : | Categories : News | Comments Off on Bees’ needs: support for pollinators

Simple actions to help pollinators are being promoted by Environment Minister, Lord de Mauley, in the hope of encouraging people to do their bit to support insects such as bees and butterflies.

Whether people live in a town or in the countryside, they are being urged to help create or improve a habitat for pollinators in five simple ways:

  1. Grow more nectar and pollen-rich flowers, shrubs and trees
  2. Leave patches of land to grow wild
  3. Cut grass less often
  4. Avoid disturbing or destroying nesting or hibernating insects
  5. Think carefully about whether to use pesticides

There are at least 1,500 species of insect pollinators in the UK including 26 species of bumble bee, 260 species of solitary bees, one honey bee species and hundreds of types of hoverflies, butterflies and moths.

Defra will be publishing a national strategy for pollinators in the Autumn, following a public consultation earlier this year.

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