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How Farmers Can Bring Back the Buzz

SAC News Release Ref. No: 11N79
Published: 30 Jun 2011

Bumblebee (opens in new window)

SAC (Scottish Agricultural College) and the Bumblebee Conservation Trust (BBCT) have teamed up produce a new guide for farmers on how they can help reverse the decline of the much-needed bumblebee.

Bumblebees play a crucial role in the pollination of vegetables, fruit and a range other crops. They are responsible for an estimated 50% to 90% of the insect pollination that contributes £440 million to farm income each year. In addition, helping bumblebees has a knock-on positive impact on a wide range of other beneficial insects, including honeybees, butterflies, ladybirds and ground beetles.

However, bumblebee numbers have declined dramatically over the last 70 years, mainly due to the loss of flower-rich habitats that provide pollen and nectar on which they feed.

In response to this issue, SAC and the BBCT have created a new Technical Note (TN639: www.sac.ac.uk/technicalnotes) for farmers, offering techniques for creating flower-rich areas near to bumblebee nesting sites.
SAC Conservation Consultant Sandra Stewart explained: “Farmers can help play a role in reversing the decline of the bumblebee. The UK’s 24 bumblebee species differ in the length of their tongues. As a result they prefer different flowers on which to feed. It is therefore important to grow a range of different flowers throughout the bumblebee season from March to mid-September.”

SAC’s Technical Notes are short, practical field guides, produced with funding from the Scottish Government under the Veterinary and Advisory Services (VAS) programme. Another recent addition to the catalogue is:

TN638: Diagnosis of Herbicide Damage in Potatoes
Glyphosate is widely used in cereals crops as a harvest aid, to control couch grass, as a desiccant in oilseed rape and to clean up stubbles and fallow land, and more. It has a label for pre-emergence weed control in potatoes and to control volunteer potatoes. Where it comes into contact with a growing potato crop, either from spray drift or sprayer contamination, it can be lethal at high doses to the growing crop but even low doses can contaminate daughter tubers.

For further information on the bumblebees Technical Note, please contact Sandra Stewart on 01786 450 964 or 07879 667163 or see our Technical Notes section.

Further information is also available on the Bumblebee Conservation Trust website.

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News Release Issued By

Ms Jane Smernicki
Head of Communications
SAC (Scottish Agricultural College) Work SAC, West Mains Road,
Edinburgh
EH9 3JG
TelWork 0131 535 4331

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