Hoverflies - all three photos above are hoverflies
Bees bask in publicity but these other important pollinators deserve to be in the spotlight too - see article by Morwenna Alldis, RSPB South West, published on the Buglife website on 22 June 2017. The UK has 280 different species of hoverfly but across Europe about 38% of hoverflies are in decline. They are unable to sting. Unlike wasps, they have no 'wasp-waist'.
67% of all pollination is by flies*. Don't mistake hoverflies for wasps and kill them - they are doing a good job! (They have no 'wasp waist' and do not sting.) * Who's really pollen their weight: Bees or Flies? Article posted on 22 April 2015 by Morgan Jackson on Biodiversity in Focus blog. The article he refers to: Orford K.A. & J. Memmott (2015), The forgotten flies: the importance of non-syrphid Diptera as pollinators, Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 282 (1805) 20142934-20142934. DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2014.2934 Published 25 March 2015
Bees bask in publicity but these other important pollinators deserve to be in the spotlight too - see article by Morwenna Alldis, RSPB South West, published on the Buglife website on 22 June 2017. The UK has 280 different species of hoverfly but across Europe about 38% of hoverflies are in decline. They are unable to sting. Unlike wasps, they have no 'wasp-waist'.
67% of all pollination is by flies*. Don't mistake hoverflies for wasps and kill them - they are doing a good job! (They have no 'wasp waist' and do not sting.) * Who's really pollen their weight: Bees or Flies? Article posted on 22 April 2015 by Morgan Jackson on Biodiversity in Focus blog. The article he refers to: Orford K.A. & J. Memmott (2015), The forgotten flies: the importance of non-syrphid Diptera as pollinators, Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 282 (1805) 20142934-20142934. DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2014.2934 Published 25 March 2015
Pollinators are in serious decline and most of our food crops depend on them
The UK’s wildflower-rich grasslands - prime pollinator habitat - have been reduced by 97% since the 1930s. We can help tackle the problem by planting pollinator-friendly flowers, shrubs and trees in our gardens and preserving green spaces. 21 Sept 2021 Flowers use electric ‘buzz’ from bumblebees to release scent and attract pollinators, study i news 16 Aug 2021 'i' news: Decline in pollinators threat to chocolate supply Coffee, nuts, strawberries and apples also at risk as climate change, habitat loss and pesticides kill off vital bugs 5 Aug 2021 Bees and multiple pesticide exposure BBC Inside Science BBC News 25 July 2021 New surgical tool inspired by a wasp 21 Sept 2021 Flowers use electric ‘buzz’ from bumblebees to release scent and attract pollinators, study i news 16 Aug 2021 'i' news: Decline in pollinators threat to chocolate supply Coffee, nuts, strawberries and apples also at risk as climate change, habitat loss and pesticides kill off vital bugs 5 Aug 2021 Bees and multiple pesticide exposure BBC Inside Science Hansard - Pollinators Volume 684: debated 26 November 2020 Sir Roger Gale MP (North Thanet, Con.) asked the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, George Eustice, what steps his Department was taking to reverse the decline in the population of pollinators (909298). Referring to the loss of 75% of the UK's native pollinators over the past 25 years and the decline of 60% of those remaining, Sir Roger asked for the Secretary of State's support for Kent's Plan Bee, which is seeking to establish 5,000 miles of B-lines across the UK. Mr Eustice said he would certainly be willing to meet Sir Roger in Kent to discuss the project and the Government's future environmental land management scheme would encourage the creation of habitats for pollinators, assisted by local nature recovery plans advanced by local authorities, would also have a role to play. European Court of Auditors, Special Report: Protection of wild pollinators in the EU - Commission initiatives have not borne fruit. Report adopted by Court of Auditors in Luxembourg, 17 June 2020 |
BBC News 25 March 2019
'Scientists warn that the loss of nature could create problems in years to come, including the ability to grow food crops.' Allotments and gardens help arrest decline of pollinators The Guardian, 14 Jan 2019 BBC News, 12 November 2018 "More than 40% of invertebrate pollinator species - particularly bees and butterflies - are facing extinction, and the potential impact of this on agricultural production is just one of the factors behind last year's stark warning on global food security from the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO)." The Guardian, 18 October 2017 "Warning of 'ecological Armageddon' after dramatic plunge in insect numbers The Telegraph, 22 August 2017 A Royal Horticultural Society experiment "showed that insects were more than three times as likely to choose plots with native British plants than exotic species. Out of the 22,000 bugs collected from the patches, 56 per cent of all invertebrates were found in the native ‘gardens’ compared to 26 per cent in the near-native plots, and just 19 per cent choosing the more exotic varieties". The Telegraph, 26 August 2017 Article on 'the alarming decline in insects': "... the fall in numbers of bugs in Britain has now reached such a troubling extent that even motorists are noticing that their windscreens are clear of squashed flies, gnats, moths and wasps" Protect more bee species to safeguard crops, say scientists BBC News, 17 June 2015 80% of crop pollination by wild bees is provided by just 2% of the most common species. Bees learn how to push a ball: The Guardian, 23 February 2017 UK Government Bee and Pollinator Strategy, 4 November 2014 |