Bee good to pollinators – it’s Bees’ Needs Week

Published: 14 July 2021

People in Exeter are being encouraged to back the bee this week and beyond by planting more flowers and letting their gardens grow wild.

The call to action comes during Bees’ Needs Week (12-18 July), encouraging the public to care for bees.

The initiative sees the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and green organisations including the Royal Horticultural Society and Bumblebee Conservation Trust encouraging the public to help our precious pollinators thrive.

People are being asked to take five simple actions to help bees and other pollinators and make sure their populations are sustained. The five actions are:

• Grow more flowers, shrubs and trees
• Let gardens grow wild
• Cut grass less often
• Avoid disturbing insect nests and hibernation spots
• Think carefully about whether to use pesticides

In Exeter the City Council has teamed up with Devon Wildlife Trust to encourage nature into the city.

Wild flower seeds have been sown throughout the city as part of the Wild City project.

Roadside verges, roundabouts and various patches of land in Exeter have broken out in a riot of colour as wildflowers have bloomed.

Not only are the impressive displays of colour beautiful to look at, they also attract a wide variety of insects and pollinators.

The initiative also means that not so much grass across the city needs to be cut, saving money and allowing a better standard of grass cutting elsewhere where it needs to be cut.

Visit the government website to find out more about Bees’ Needs Week