VIDEO: Wildflower 'roads' to help bees

[WD-40]

A scheme aimed at increasing the number of bees in the UK is encouraging farmers to plant more wildflowers.

More...

[rolf]

Great idea, perhaps the scheme ought to be developed for gardens on estates as well, if everyone had a couple of pots of suitable flowers, then bees would travel from garden to garden.

[Catherine]

This reminds me of a drive - about 15 to twenty years ago - to encourage local authorities in allowing 'fingers of the countryside' to infiltrate the suburbs (and indeed town centres themselves) to provide 'wildlife highways' for all creatures to enter and leave built-up areas with ease.

The idea was that this would not only provide easy access and exit for wildlife, but would enhance the lives of all of us by giving us more pleasant surroundings whilst living 'at one' with nature. Grants were available for developers to plant native trees and shrubs along those 'fingers', and there was a fairly good acceptance of the ideas and the grants available.

However, because of various factors (many being outwith the scheme), developers saw profits falling. Thus those 'limbs' or 'fingers' were suddenly neglected and even amputated. Council boundary and planning law changes had an affect as well - so a good idea was abandoned.

I hope this less-expensive project will have more success!