Bees, please

Bees are in peril. It's a fact we can't ignore. Noticing fewer bees buzzing around the garden is one thing, but given that bees are the main way flowers are pollinated and fruit induced, it's also serious. 


About a year ago there was a TV documentary about what had happened to all the bees and why it matters that they are no longer so prevalent. It's a worldwide phenomenon - not just one limited to the UK. Everywhere except Australia, bees aren't just declining in large numbers; they're dying out. 


In the documentary, we saw hives of bees being transported across the breadth of the US in vast trucks. Pollination is big business, especially if you're in the fruit and veg business, as much of the fertile plains of California are. To successfully grow fruit and vegetables and, of course, grapes to make wine, your plants need pollinating. 


Theories about why bee populations are in steep decline vary. The Bumble Bee Conservation Trust is hoping to establish the scale of the problem by getting volunteers around the country to take a monthly look around and record how many bees there are. Over the years, a picture of the bee population will be created. 


I'm not sure how many such volunteers there are. I joined up this year thanks to a tweet requesting help. It's a useful cause, but of course it's a spectator role. It puts me in mind of the excellent William Boyd book Brazzaville Beach in which habitat changes and population shifts are monitored, but active involvement is frowned upon. 


What's important is that we try and halt the decline. We need to grow bee-friendly plants to encourage bees into our gardens and on to our crops as much as possible. Pretty flowers and fragrant bushes are ideal. Often, such plants also attract butterflies, so you get a visual treat into the bargain. 


You might have noticed Innocent Drinks offering a honey-based smoothie this summer with a free packet of bee-friendly seeds attached. Discarded plastic beakers and a handful of soil can be used as plant pots if you don't have any to hand. 


Seeds (unlike smoothies), are dirt cheap. £3 or so will buy you a box of 'butterfly and bee-friendly' seeds containing wild flowers and flowers that will attract them. Scatter some in a plastic trough and you're off.