What can I do for native bees?
Where do I start?
Where do I start?
Where do I start?
Sometimes it is difficult to know where to start when imaging how our local green space can be working hard for biodiversity, but with the right principles it can be easy.
Food / flowers
Where do I start?
Where do I start?
Bees need access to food which for most of them is flowers that contain nectar and pollen.
A home
Where do I start?
A home
Bees need nesting habitat to complete their life cycles. For some this is a hole in the ground, in the side of a building, or in deadwood.
Water
Talk about bees!
A home
Like every other living thing bees need a drink as well. Try adding stones to your bird bath to give insects a place to pirch and drink. Or even adding a small pond to your urban space.
Less is more
Talk about bees!
Talk about bees!
Try and leave green spaces natural and untidy. Avoid super neat gardens and pristine lawns, and never use chemicals.
If you follow these principles then bees will have every chance at thriving in your local green spaces.
Talk about bees!
Talk about bees!
Talk about bees!
One of the most important things we can do for biodiversity is talk about it!
Engaging people and the community in citizen science events like bio blitzs, and telling people about the amazing bee diversity we have in this country!
Bee hotels and providing nesting habitat
One thing that bees need to thrive is a place to nest and complete their life cycles. Without it this there cannot be another generation of bees and their population will slowly shrink. The majority of bee species are solitary and nest in the ground, or in deadwood and different species need slightly different habitats for nesting.
Ground Nesters
Ground nesting bees are very easy to provide habitat for. The simplest way to do this is to provide patches of bare ground in a sunny part of the garden. Even clearing 1m of bare ground will be enough to encourage ground nesting species such as lassiglosum to take up residence.
Nesting in Deadwood
Nesting in deadwood Many species such as the Great Carpenter bee nest in deadwood and this type of habitat is easy to provide. If you have any dead or fallen trees in your garden don’t remove them and if possible drill holes between 2mm and 15mm into the wood. This will speed up the process of the bees colonising your garden.
Nesting in Masonry
Some bees including the Blue banded bee nest in masonry or holes in stone, this can be provided for by adding rock or clay bricks to your garden. If you are interested in how to make bee hotels check out this page on the website!
Make a bee hotel!
If you don't have much space a bee hotel may bee the best way to create the most possible bee habitat.
Check out the guide below