Pollinators like bees are essential for 75% of crops, but their habitats are disappearing. According to research, the UK has lost a third of its natural animal and plant habitats in the past 50 years. Therefore, every year, the University of Bristol Botanic Garden organizes a festival of bees and pollinators to help people realize the importance of these animals. "It's all about learning, inspiring and helping people to explore and understand more," said Nick Wray, a representative of the school.
At the festival, beekeepers will dismantle a beehive to demonstrate how it works. “Bees need food all season long, just like you and I, from early spring to late fall. So you don’t plant a bunch of flowering plants in your garden in June and then nothing later, because then there’s nothing for the bees to eat,” Wray said.
The festival also features poetry readings about these pollinators. According to IsamBards, a local poetry group came to the festival to talk about pollinator poetry, and bees were a great inspiration to them. The 2011 Costa Poetry Prize winner, Carol Anne Duffy, wrote an entire book about bees.
Industrial farming and heavy reliance on pesticides have led to a serious decline in natural habitats. Public spaces and 23m gardens in the UK are increasingly important for bees.
“There is only one species of honeybee in the UK but there are 25 species of bumblebee and over 250 other species of solitary bees… Knowing and learning about all the different species of bees can really inspire people's imaginations and bring you a lot of joy,” said Freya Cohen, a Belgian Master of Biology.
Neil Campbell, a member of the Bristol Beekeepers’ Association, said: “There are 140 beekeepers in Bristol alone. The number of hives we have is almost too much for the amount of food for bees in the area. If you are considering starting beekeeping, you have to think about finding food for them.”
“We need more wildflower fields. That’s more important than beekeepers right now. Bees love lavender, so anyone who cares about bees should keep growing it. Plant more fields, more trees, more pots in windows.”
The positive thing about pollinators is that an intervention can have an impact on them quite quickly.
