Simple Things You Can Do to Help the Bees

Bees are one of our most trusted pollinators, working hard to help produce our favourite fruits and vegetables by pollinating their flowers. Without bees and other fellow pollinators, many of the foods we love wouldn’t exist, meaning our meals, including the most important one (breakfast!), would never be the same.

Unfortunately, these little insects are facing a limited supply of food which has made their numbers decline significantly in recent years¹. So, how can we help bees thrive? It turns out there are many ways to keep the buzz going.

Bees love flowers, so if you’re wondering how to help bees, start by finding out what are the most bee-friendly flowers you can buy and look for sunny spots with easy bee access to plant them.

If you’re lucky enough to have a garden, there are many bee-approved flowers you can plant throughout the year, from rosemary and primrose in the spring to late-summer bloomers like lavender and ivy. But even if you live in a flat, there are ways to give a helping hand to the bees. Many species of sunflower are perfect for a pot or a vase you can place on a balcony or a window sill. Identify the sunniest spot and you’ve got the perfect place for a bee-friendly flower.

Not sure how to plant sunflowers? Check out our easy guide.

Planting flowers that bees love is a great start. But if you want to take on a bigger project to help the bees, your garden is the perfect place for a pollinator looking for food, shelter and water. Fruit trees are a favourite for these hard-working insects, especially apple and cherry trees. And there are many vegetables such as onions or peppers whose flowers can provide the perfect meal for a bee looking for nectar or pollen. Keep the pesticides at bay, don’t remove weeds completely and make sure there is a source of water to keep bees hydrated. That’s all part of the joys of having a bee garden that’s full of colourful flowers, smells like heaven and it’s buzzing with activity all year long.

There are many species of bees that don’t live in hives and spend most of their life looking for a safe nest. Luckily, we humans can provide them with one. Bee hotels are an amazing idea to help these solitary bees get the shelter they need. Place it in your bee garden, and you’ll help them have a comfy place to put all the pollen and nectar goodies they get from your flowers.

If you’ve never built a bee hotel before, don’t worry. We’ve broken the process down in such easy steps, even the little ones can join in and help. Check out our article.

One of the best things about bees is that it doesn’t take long for kids to fall in love with these amazing little creatures. They ‘wear’ cool colours, make a gentle hum kids can easily recognise, produce delicious honey, and many of them don’t even sting.

So, if you’re looking for ideas for spring and summer crafts, bees provide plenty of inspiration. We’ve rounded up some of the cutest bee crafts that kids can get involved with. From bee-painted rocks to bee-shaped bookmarks, these activities are a good way to introduce these tireless insects to the youngest in the family, while talking to them about the important jobs they do for us.

Check out our bee crafts ideas for kids, next.

We’ve partnered with the Bee Friendly Trust Charity to support bees all over the UK. Get the free Cheerios seeds, find a good place for them to grow, plant them and wait for the bees to come to collect their nectar and pollen. It’s easy and incredibly important!

Footnotes:

1. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-019-08974-9