A 3,000 mile corridor filled with wildflowers could be created as part of a bid to boost the UK’s declining bee population. Wildlife charity Buglife wants to turn fields into grassland which would then be covered in flowers, creating ‘motorways’ to encourage bees and other insects to migrate.
Organisers hope the plans will also provide a much-needed boost for the UK’s butterflies, moths and hover flies. The scheme is designed to help the insects spread around the country rather than keeping them confined to separate patches of the UK.
The UK’s honey bee population has halved over the last 25 years, creating problems for farmers. Experts estimate that 90% of the UK’s food and crops are dependent on pollinating insects.
Under the bee motorway scheme, farmers and other landowners could be given a grant or bursary in exchange for allowing the use of their fields.
Buglife has already started recruiting landowners in Yorkshire, where an estimated 60,000 acres are needed for the pollinating insects to thrive.
Source: Interflora – Bee Motorway’ To Boost Insect Numbers
