Bees are the unsung heroes behind much of the food we love. Imagine a world without apples, almonds, or blueberries. These little animals wander from flower to flower, picking up pollen and moving it around.
This act alone supports around a third of our global food production. The economic value of bee pollination is immense, saving us millions by contributing to harvest yield and produce quality.
Use no-dig gardening to protect wildlife. Read more on pet-friendly gardens and wildlife-friendly gardens.
Many wildflowers (and seeds in plantable greetings cards) are toxic to animal friends. The real answer is to plant wildflowers meadows, so bees have food to eat in nature.
Experts are not fans of ‘bee hotels’ as they bees are ‘terrible landers’ so hotels often get filled with mites (so they can’t fly or land).
And having lots of bees in one place, makes hotels tempting to predators. Just plant wildflowers in pet-free gardens or the countryside.
Likewise, a biology professor at Sussex university said that so-called ‘bee bricks’ for solitary bees are not deep enough to be that effective but are ‘probably better than nothing’. He says these are simply displacements for real planning changes (like prioritising meadows).
If you find a bee on the ground, it may be dying (bees don’t live long). But it may be tired and hungry, so try putting it in a flower with pollen, and see if it recovers. Rather than risk drowning bees with sugar-water, bee saviour cards give just the right amount of food.
Bees are fascinating creatures that do a special ‘waggle dance’ to indicate the exact degree where pollen is to friends. They put in in incredible hours to just a tiny bit of honey for the hive. Some commercial beekeepers smoke out hives to retrieve honey (why vegans don’t eat it).
Flow Hive is an invention that causes less disturbance, and may be a better method. Never give honey to young children (nor to pets or people with weak immune systems, due to risk of botulism). Read of plant-based alternatives to honey.
Easy Ways to Support Endangered Bees
Start by transforming your garden into a bee-friendly paradise. Plant native flowers and set aside wildflower patches. This creates a haven for bees with blooming food sources, critical for their survival. Even a small effort contributes to a big, collective support network.
Tackling pesticides at home is easier than you think. Swap out chemical treatments for organic alternatives, or better yet, let nature take its course. Promoting a healthy ecosystem encourages natural predators to manage pests, reducing the need for harmful sprays and saving bees in the process.
Join local conservation projects or bee protection campaigns. These might involve anything from planting bee-friendly gardens in community spaces to organising workshops on bee importance. Every hand that joins the effort makes the hive stronger.
Knowledge is a powerful tool in saving our bees. Share what you know about bees with others. Whether through a local talk, a school project, or simple conversations, raising awareness can inspire more people to take bee-friendly actions.
Books to Learn More about Bees
The Good Bee is a beautifully illustrated book to celebrate bees, and find ways to save them. There are over 20,000 bee species worldwide and all need our help. A celebration of these mysterious ‘nature wizards’, learn all about bee behaviour, the part they play in the natural world, and how they are under threat and what we can do to help.
Honey Bee is a beautifully illustrated guide to the world’s favourite pollinating insect. Learn the difference between the queen bee and worker bee, and how honey bees make honey. Filled with simple science, it shows how bees need our help (due to climate change and insecticides). The author is Assistant Professor in Pollinator Health & Apiculture at Mississippi University.
50 Ways to Help Save the Bees is a book of easy suggestions to help bees, from mowing less often and keeping your yard dark at night, to building bee-friendly window boxes and green roofs. Little things can make a difference for little bees. Just ask a bee!
A Bee’s Guide to Bees & Pollination
Secrets of Bees is a beautifully illustrated and educational book for young readers, to teach on the importance of bees and pollination.
Bees are incredible insects (from honeybees to diggers to leafcutters and solitary bees). Discover:
- How bee eyes see the world differently
- How bees pollinate plants
- How bees communicate (waggle dance!)
- How without bees, we would have no food
This book is created with consultation with Professor Beverley Glover and Dr Sally Lee of Cambridge University Botanic Garden. Author Ben studied at Cambridge University and then worked for BBC Wildlife magazine, before becoming a full-time writer.
Little Bee’s Book of Blooms
Little Bee’s Book of Blooms is a delightful book to introduce children to the wonder of flowers. Follow Little Bee, as she buzzes from garden to greenhouse to desert, visiting all sorts of different blooms, each one as beautiful and fascinating as the next.
Buzz by:
- Rose petals
- Yellow dandelions
- Beaming sunflowers
- Dazzling tulips
- Floating water lilies
- Snapping Venus flytraps
- Stinky pelican flowers
- Night orchids
Packed with bright illustrations and creative wordplay, this chunky board book is designed to instil a love of nature from an early age. Perfect for reading aloud, and the peaceful night-time scene is perfect for bedtime reading.
Yuval Zommer graduated from Royal Collage of Art with an MA in Illustration. As an environmentalist, he uses his art to teach children about our planet and the creatures in it.
A Brief Compendium of Bee Curiosities
Beepedia is a beautiful gift book, featuring A to Z entries on topics from pollination to the peculiar lifestyles of cuckoo bees and carrion-eating vulture bees, this pocket-size book takes you on an unforgettable journey to meet these remarkable creatures.
Explore the wonders of bee behaviour and ecology, and learn about the role of bees in agriculture, art, literature and religion.
With over 20,000 species, bees can be found anywhere on the planet where flowering plants are pollinated by insects. You’ll even learn where the expression ‘the bee’s knees’ comes from! Laurence Packer is a leading expert on wild bees, and a Professor Emeritus of Melittology (studying bees) at York University in Toronto.
