Disco Bees

Bees are the principal pollinators of flowering plants and are crucial for food production.  Did you know that if we were to take over the role of pollination from bees in the UK alone, it would require a workforce of 30 million people! Without bees, many fruits, vegetables and other crops would not grow and many wild flowers would disappear from the countryside. 

The disappearance of bees is a very real threat

Most of the UK’s bumblebee species have greatly declined in recent years, with two species extinct in the UK since the 1940’s, while honeybee numbers have dropped by 50% in the last 25 years.

Why are Bees declining?

A major factor causing their decline is the loss of countryside wildflowers (which bees rely on for food) due to intensive farming methods, including cropland monocultures and heavy use of insecticides. Even small amounts of pesticides have been associated with a decline in the number of nest queens and increase in the number of ”disappeared” bees – those that fail to return from food foraging trips. See Pesticide Action Network UK for more information about pesticide use and bees.

 How can we help?

• Grow native wildflowers! Use the Seedballs which come in our  Disco Bees Collection pieces to guerilla garden for the bees!

• If you have an allotment to grow veggies, setting aside space for a wildflower meadow is a great way to return the favour for the bees’ pollination services!
• Take part in national bee surveys
• Support campaigns like the Friends of the Earth Bee Cause
• Support organisations like the Bumblebee Conservation Trust
• Build your own bee hotel
• Learn to become a beekeeper. That way you get honey too! Brilliant.