Pollinator Welfare and Garden Management

Garden management practices profoundly affect pollinator welfare and population viability. Evidence-based approaches support pollinators through the year.

Key Facts

The UK has lost 97% of its wildflower meadows since the 1930s with major pollinator impacts
Bumblebee populations have declined by 70% in the last century in some UK regions
Native flowering plants provide better foraging resources for native bee species than exotics
Pesticide exposure causes sublethal effects in bees including navigation impairment
Leaving autumn leaves and hollow stems provides overwinter habitat for solitary bees

Welfare Considerations

Pollinator welfare encompasses both individual bee wellbeing and population viability. Individual bees can suffer from sublethal pesticide exposure that impairs navigation and foraging ability — bees unable to find their way back to the hive die of exhaustion or starvation. Bees foraging on pesticide-treated flowers may ingest doses that impair learning and communication. The garden-level welfare response is multifaceted: providing abundant native flowering plants through the season, avoiding pesticide use, creating nesting habitat, and leaving undisturbed areas for ground-nesting and stem-nesting bees.

What You Can Do

Plant native wildflowers that provide high-quality pollen and nectar for native bee species
Avoid all pesticide use in gardens, especially neonicotinoids and systemic insecticides
Leave a patch of undisturbed, undug soil for ground-nesting bumblebee queens
Leave hollow plant stems and log piles through winter for solitary bee nesting
Record and submit bee sightings to the Bumblebee Conservation Trust and Big Bee Count