Most of us know by now of the questions raised over the safety of Neonicotinoids, a type of insecticide used on crops which is a neuro-toxin for bees and other insects, paralysing
them at worst and leaving them confused and unable to relocate their hives at best.
We rely on bees to pollinate the plants that create a lot of the food we consume. Bees all around the world are in trouble due to loss of habitat and exposure to toxic chemicals. There have been substantial efforts made in recent years to raise public awareness of their plight and to show people how they can help combat these declines by planting pollinator-friendly, nectar-rich plants in their gardens and by not using toxic chemicals on their lawns, flowerbeds etc.
The RHS has a 'bee friendly' stamp it puts on plants that are good for bees so people know which ones to buy to help the bees. Dave Goulson, Professor of Biology at the University of Sussex and an expert in bees and flutters who set up the Bumblebee Conservation Trust and who has written two great books on the subject, is setting up a research project to look at the presence and levels of Neonicotinoids in garden centre plants marketed as 'bee friendly'. Many of the plants in UK garden centres come from the Continent, especially the Netherlands where intensive production methods include the use of Neonics.
He's funding the project using a website called Walacea which links people interested in supporting science research projects with the academics carrying out that research. It's basically a crowd-funding platform for great science projects and I urge you all to check it out. Here is the link to Dave Goulson's crowd-funding platform. You can donate as little as a fiver or as much as you want, it all goes directly towards funding the project. Personally I think it's money well spent. There is only one day to go before the funding closes, so please do check it out.
Because of the intricate connections that ecosystems consist of, if we lose bees the whole countryside will very quickly start to look different. Everything you see in the photos below will ultimately be at risk, so it's important stuff.