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In a newly published position statement, the Bumblebee Conservation Trust warns about the dangers for nature’s recovery if we get mass tree planting and woodland creation wrong.
Update (1st March 2024). Today, we learned that virus yellow incidence in sugar beet crops is predicted to be 83% in 2024, breaching the 65% threshold set by the government. This means banned neonicotinoids will once again be allowed to be used on sugar beet crops in England in 2024.
Read on for the full story and what this means for bumblebees and nature.
For the fourth year in a row the UK Government has granted an ‘emergency’ approval for the use of a banned pesticide on sugar beet in England. This is against the advice of its own Expert Committee on Pesticides as well as that of the Health and Safety Executive.
The banned neonicotinoid pesticide, thiamethoxam, restricted in 2018 for its harmful effects on bees, could therefore once again find its way into English sugar beet fields and then the surrounding environment. The choice to allow thiamethoxam to be used again was publicised on the same day the Office for Environmental Protection reported the government is failing on their commitment to reduce the use and impact of pesticides.
Today, we join our partner organisations in the Pesticide Collaboration to urge the Government to end the cycle of repeated authorisations for pesticides banned because of the harm they do to our wildlife. We are deeply concerned about the lack of progress on alternatives to using neonicotinoids on sugar beet, despite British Sugar’s 2020 promises that it would need no more than three years to develop alternative approaches and subsequent government statements echoing a move away from emergency authorisations of neonicotinoids by 2023.
This summer, one of the UK’s rare bumblebees, the Brown-banded carder bumblebee, was found in Braunton, Devon by local Bumblebee Conservation Trust staff member, Jamie Buxton Gould.
The UK is one of the most nature-depleted countries on the planet. One in seven species are at risk of extinction. More than 97% of our flower-rich meadows have been lost since the 1930’s, and two bumblebee species have been driven to extinction in Britain. Many others have suffered their populations plummeting to dangerously low levels.
The Bumblebee Conservation Trust have designed this manifesto to give bumblebees a political voice they lack. We aim to bring the key actions needed to save these crucial pollinators to the attention of political parties and voters before the next general election. The manifesto brings together the knowledge and expertise of our team, along with views sought from academic researchers focused on bumblebees. We present a series of straightforward requests relevant to national and local governments alike.
By Dr. Richard Comont, Science Manager
The summer of 2022 was HOT – 40+°C for the first time, during an extended heatwave that certainly left Trust staff in need of air conditioning. Without that even as an option, how did the bumblebees fare? Luckily, that’s a question that we can now answer with the help of the Trust’s BeeWalk project.
This coming Saturday (20th May 2023) the Bumblebee Conservation Trust will launch ‘Bee Inspired’, a new wildlife project at a family fun day at the Butts Community Garden, Walsall.
The Bumblebee Conservation Trust will be at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show this May with our ‘Bee the Change’ stand, showing how small simple changes can transform any garden into a bumblebee haven.
The Bumblebee Conservation Trust has launched a new scheme for schools. ‘Bumblebee friendly Schools’ introduces students, staff and the wider school community to the wonderful world of bumblebees.
We work with many businesses to raise awareness of the importance of bumblebees, and have an ongoing agreement with Sports Direct.
During the 2023 “Save the bumblebees” campaign Sports Direct is using its wide platform to reach a large audience.
The “Save the bumblebees” campaign shows honeybees as well as bumblebees within social posts and TV adverts. Sports Direct did not share this content with us prior to release.
This spring, bumblebee queens are on a mission to find somewhere to nest – and they urgently need everyone’s help!
The Bumblebee Conservation Trust is calling on the UK public to play their part this month and help create nesting sites wherever they live.