Invertebrates

Wild Pollinator Welfare and Habitat

Wild pollinator populations including bumblebees, solitary bees, and hoverflies face welfare and conservation threats from habitat loss and pesticides.

Key Facts

Over 17% of European bumblebee species are threatened with extinction
Solitary bees require specific nesting habitats including bare ground and hollow stems
Insecticides cause sublethal effects including navigation impairment in bees
Wildflower restoration increases wild pollinator abundance and welfare

Welfare Considerations

Wild bees exposed to sublethal doses of insecticides experience navigation impairment, reduced foraging success, and immune suppression that reduces individual welfare and colony health. Habitat loss eliminates nesting sites that many solitary species cannot substitute. Bumblebees facing colony starvation from insufficient forage experience metabolic stress. Wildflower restoration and reduced insecticide use address both welfare and conservation simultaneously.

What You Can Do

Create wildflower habitats in gardens and urban spaces
Avoid insecticide use especially when flowers are open
Support agri-environment scheme programs restoring wildflower margins
Advocate for restrictions on insecticides most harmful to pollinators