Day 10 of #30DaysWild is all about bees.

Today as we were driving home from a party a bee landed on my partner’s arm and hitched a ride with us down the road. This got me thinking about bees and reminded me that Friends of the Earth are currently running a Great British Bee Count across the country. 

What is the Great British Bee Count? 

Friends of the Earth are asking people between 19th May to 30th June to record any bee sightings they see either via their website or the Bee Count App. Here you can upload a picture and select the type of bee you have spotted. You will also be asked how many you saw, what type of landscape it was, and what the weather was like. You are also asked to submit your location so that they can monitor where across the UK people are spotting bees. 

This screen grab shows how many sightings have been submitted across the UK. So far this year there have been 222,662 sightings submitted. You can see on the map below where these have come from. I live in the North East of Scotland which you can see hasn’t had too many records submitted yet.

Why Should I Get Involved? 

Our bees are in decline and scientists are trying to understand why. By recording your sightings they can start to understand how bees are coping with climate change and habitat loss with the hope of reversing this someday. 

Did you know that 75% of our food is pollinated by bees? When you think of that you can start to understand why the future of our pollinators are so important. But bees are facing a number of human threats such as exposure to harmful pesticides, climate change and loss of food sources and habitat.

By taking part in the count you not only help the scientists but you can learn more about bees and what you can do to help pollinators.

What Can I Do?
Firstly sign up to the Great British Bee Count and get logging those sightings. Then get sharing on social media that you are taking part and encourage others to do so.

Secondly you can sign a petition run by Friends of the Earth to campaign for the government to ban all neonicotinoids present in pesticides. Currently there is only a ban on some pesticides but evidence suggests neonicotinoids are causing a decline in our bees. In fact it is now thought that these are also harming our butterflies and birds too. 

Lastly find out how you can help pollinators in your own garden. This could be ensuring you have plants and flowers which are bee friendly and easy for bees to collect from. 

Did you know bees see the colour purple better than any other colour? Think Lavender, Salvia and Alliums in the garden. 

Read more on the Friends of the Earth website about the decline of bees and how you can help. 

Camilla-Erika and Robin Oleander x

Follow Us

If you want to follow our adventures this June then pop your details onto this form. You’ll not only get weekly updates but some other bits and bobs only subscribers will see.

I hope you join us, we would love for you to come along and watch Robin Oleander meet the world!