Wildlife

Wild Bee Welfare: Solitary Bees and Conservation

While honeybees receive most attention, over 250 species of wild solitary bees in the UK face habitat loss and pesticide threats with significant welfare implications.

Key Facts

There are over 250 bee species in the UK, only one of which produces honey
Solitary bees including mason bees and leafcutter bees nest in hollow stems and soil
Neonicotinoid pesticides impair navigation and reproduction in solitary bees
Habitat loss has caused 13 bee species to become extinct in the UK since 1900
Solitary bees are more efficient pollinators per individual than honeybees

Welfare Considerations

Solitary bees whose nesting sites are destroyed or whose foraging habitat is removed experience reproductive failure and death. Pesticide exposure at sublethal doses impairs the ability to return to nests, causing larvae to starve. Unlike social bees, solitary species cannot compensate through colony resilience. Each individual loss is total as these are non-colonial insects. The welfare scale across the thousands of species affected by pesticides globally is enormous.

What You Can Do

Plant a diverse range of native flowering plants across the whole growing season
Provide bee hotels with appropriate nesting materials for solitary species
Stop using pesticides, particularly neonicotinoids and fungicides in gardens
Leave some bare ground for ground-nesting bee species
Support Buglife and Bumblebee Conservation Trust campaigns