Friday, July 27, 2007

Wired Science - Wired Blogs

Wired Science - Wired Blogs


Bee_3

Do you lament the disappearance of the bees, but feel powerless to stop it?

Well, plant a garden.

The British Bumblebee Nest Survey has found that, more than forests or grasslands, bees like to live in gardens. Why? Juliet Osborne, author of the resulting Journal of Applied Ecology article, explained to the BBC that

"The diversity of garden features and gardening styles provide a large variety of potential nesting sites compared to more uniform countryside habitats." [...]

"Areas with gardens have a high concentration of boundary features, such as hedges, fences and garden buildings, which are suitable for nesting."

And if you don't have time to tend a garden, Osborne recommends planting a few brightly-colored flowers. Failing that, just let the grass grow tall.

Could there be a better excuse to skip the lawn mowing than saving the bees?

Assorted bee disappearance theories here and here.

Gardens 'vital' for UK bumblebees [BBC]

No comments: