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Be a Bee-friendly Farmer

If you are involved with agriculture, either for business or as a pastime, there are some recognised ways you can help bees and other pollinating insects. Not only will it give bees a boost but research has shown that increasing the number of pollinators on crops can contribute to higher, better- quality yields. The habitats that support bees also support other insects, birds and mammals, many of which are natural predators of crop pests.

There are a number of initiatives, such as Bee Better Certification in the US, that are focused on helping farmers move towards more bee-friendly practices, regardless of the size. In England, the government’s Countryside Stewardship scheme provides financial incentives to farmers who implement measures such as planting flower-rich margins. Other measures include:

PROVIDING BEE HABITAT – Asking farmers and smallholders to set aside at least 5 per cent of their land for bee habitat, will help ensure there are abundant sources of nectar and pollen right through the growing season. These can be a mixture of permanent changes, such as planting hedgerows, or seasonal flowering cover crops such as red clover, hairy vetch and buckwheat.

SPACE FOR NEST SITES – Solitary bees need somewhere to live. Sadly, many intensively farmed landscapes don’t offer many opportunities for nest building. Bees like untilled ground, grassy thickets, dead wood, leaf litter, small cavities, abandoned birds’ nests, plant stems – all the ‘untidy’ areas. Providing a few wild corners and untamed field borders, with undisturbed ground, hedgerows and banks of soil, will give different kinds of bees (and other wildlife) the chance to thrive.

BUFFER ZONES FOR BEES – Farmers can also help by reducing the use of insecticides and herbicides, which kill either pollinators or the plants they need to survive. Using less toxic alternatives, or employing strategies such as unsprayed buffer zones, avoiding drift, evening spraying and targeted pesticide use, help minimise the exposure of bees to pesticides.

Both the National Farmers’ Union and Xerces Society have excellent guides to helping pollinators on your farm (see Directory, p. 125).