![]() ![]() Because they gather pollen to stock their nests, bees are generally the most effective pollinators since they visit many more flowers and carry more pollen between them. Flies, wasps, moths, beetles and even some birds, bats and lizards all pollinate, but they only visit flowers enough to feed themselves. As bees visit plants seeking food, pollen catches on their bodies and passes between plants, fertilising them – that's pollination.īees are not the world's only pollinators. They have special features to collect it - like branched hairs called 'scopae' or combs of bristles called pollen baskets on their legs. "More than 90% of the leading global crop types are visited by bees." Pollinators, Pollination and Food Production The Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES)īees gather pollen to stock their nests as food for their young. And if you are wearing cotton, that's because the cotton plant your threads came from was pollinated. Thanks to bees we can enjoy a range of foods from apples and pears to coffee and vanilla. Learn more with our bee identification guide. Solitary bees include Mining bees which nest in the ground, as well as Mason bees and Leafcutter bees that nest in holes in dead wood, banks and walls. Each female builds and provisions her own nest with food. Solitary bees tend to nest on their own, as the name suggests. Like Honeybees, the familiar Bumblebees live in social colonies - usually in holes in the ground or tree cavities. The rest of our bees are wild, including 25 bumblebee species and more than 220 types of solitary bee. Most Honeybees are kept by beekeepers in colonies of managed hives. ![]() Around 270 species of bee have been recorded in the UK. There are over 20,000 known species of bee globally. And we need to turn that into action to ensure they don't just survive but thrive. More than ever before, we need to recognise the importance of bees to nature and to our lives. This decline is caused by a combination of stresses – from loss of habitat and food sources to exposure to pesticides and the effects of climate breakdown. There's growing public and political concern at bee decline across the world. Bees also pollinate around 80% of wildflowers in Europe, so our countryside would be far less interesting and beautiful without them.īut bees are in trouble. The vast majority of plants we need for food rely on pollination, especially by bees: from almonds and vanilla to apples and squash. They do so by transferring pollen between flowering plants and therefore keeping the cycle of life turning. We may take them and other pollinators like butterflies and hoverflies for granted, but they're vital to stable, healthy food supplies and key to the varied, colourful and nutritious diets we need (and have come to expect).īees are perfectly adapted to pollinate, helping plants grow, breed and produce food. ![]()
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