Buzzin’ for World Bee Day: How We Can Help Save the Bees

Today’s not just any day — it’s World Bee Day, and we’re being asked to 'Bee' Engaged with the buzzy legends who do way more for us than we probably realise.

Yep, we’re talking about bees — nature’s hardest grafters, and absolutely vital to keeping our food system ticking over.

Would you believe honey bees travel nearly 55,000 miles to produce just one pound of honey? Mad! But it’s not just the honey we should be grateful for — a third of our food depends on pollination, and bees are doing the heavy lifting. Sadly, they’re in real danger. With wildflower meadows disappearing, climate change, harmful pesticides and diseases all in the mix, nearly one in 10 of Europe’s wild bee species is now facing extinction.

Honey bee on Devil's-bit Scabious

But don’t panic – you can make a difference, even from your own back garden (or balcony, or window box). First off, think flowers – the right kind. Go for lavender, heather, foxgloves, honeysuckle or snapdragons. Bees love a bit of variety, and planting blooms that flower throughout the seasons helps them feed all year long. Hazel, holly, pussy willow and even ivy are brilliant too.

For those with smaller spaces, stick up a bee hotel – basically a bunch of bamboo canes tied together and hung up on a wall – perfect for giving solitary bees a place to nest.

Lastly, let your lawn get a little wild. Leave those dandelions and clover to flower, mow less often, and skip the pesticides if you can. The more you let nature do its thing, the better for the bees — and the planet.