Is the Government doing enough to help our hard-working bees?

With the other organisations backing the Bees’ Needs call to action, we’ve helped shape the content.

The call says many of the things that we and top bee scientists say are needed to end the plight of our bees – like providing them with the right plants for food and the natural habitats they need for shelter.

We’ve persuaded the Government to go beyond just telling people to ‘always read the label’ when using pesticides, to say they can be avoided altogether. That took time.

The Bees Needs’ film about the issues is good too – much better after our feedback.

But what now?

Frankly, the Government needs to give the nation a brilliant Bee Action Plan. Bees need nothing less. A cobbling together of existing weak policies won’t do – bees need concerted action on all causes of their decline.

That means four things:

• Boosting the farmers’ role in helping bees by going well beyond just voluntary measures
• Getting real about pesticides by reversing their rising use in the UK
• Improving how land is used by making sure developers know how to help bees
• Getting better data on the health of all bee species by setting up a UK bee monitoring system

While getting the Government to accept it also needs to take action, the Bee Cause has seen thousands of people already helping bees:

• We’ve sent out tens of thousands of wildflower seed packets.
• We’ve helped people create 200 Bee Worlds – great pit stops for bees – nationwide.
• Our Great British Bee Count is helping people – over 20,000 so far – gather useful data on which types of bee are where.
• Now you can create a Bee & Bee in your garden or window box using our free Bee & Bee pack.

We can be the generation that saves our bees – but only if the Government works harder.

How we got here – anatomy of The Bee Cause campaign

April 2012 The campaign to save Britain’s bees starts with us creating a wildflower meadow overnight on London’s South Bank before giving all of the plants and turf away.

May 2012 Research by top bee experts points to the need for concerted action on all causes of bee decline – from loss of habitats to pesticides.

Summer 2012 Thousands of people support our call for a national Bee Action Plan while taking practical action to help bees – from sowing wildflower seeds to creating Bee Worlds.

June 2013 At our historic Bee Summit, the Government accepts the need for a comprehensive national Bee Action Plan to tackle all causes of bee decline and work for all 250+ bee species.

Summer 2013 We start advising the Government on what a national Bee Action Plan needs to cover and bring farmers, conservation groups, scientists and businesses together to help.

Spring 2014 Over 25,000 people urge the Government to improve its draft Bee Action Plan with better concerted action on farming’s role for bees and reduced use of pesticides.

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