S.O.B.

Normally, this would be in the sidebar....
but I don't think this should.
It is from the BBC News channel this morning...
and I have quoted more than normal, too.
The link is in the header below:

One in ten wild bees face extinction in Europe

From the BBC article:
"Almost one in 10 of Europe's native wild bees face extinction, according to the most comprehensive expert assessment so far.

"The European Red List, drawn up by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, found 9.2% of nearly 2,000 species are threatened with extinction.

"Another 5% are likely to be threatened in the near future.

"Threats include loss of habitat from intensive farming, pesticide use, urban development and climate change.

"The new assessment made a number of recommendations, including:
1] Better monitoring and assessment of common and rare species
2] More protection for habitats supporting bees
3] Regulation of trade in managed bees, which may spread diseases
4] Long-term incentives to farmers to provide habitats for bees.

"Bees need to be incorporated into how we think about and develop sustainable agriculture."

"Insect pollination has an estimated economic value of 15bn euros per year in the EU alone.

"Boosting populations of pollinators would bring benefits to wildlife, the countryside and food producers, said the report."

But will the powers that be accept or ignore the comments...
will the agrochemical industry lobby be more powerful than science advisors??

A Sting in the Tale

A French Garden has blogged today about bees nesting in her "Bee Hotels"....
and we have been watching some of the same activity with our ones here...
blog post will follow soon..
but on the same theme, excerpts from A Sting in the Tale by Dave Goulson have been broadcast on BBC Radio 4 all this week...
each has been a delight to listen to...
we thoroughly recommend listening to them.
Use the "Listen Again" service to do do so.
Episode 1 is here... you have 4 days left to listen.

Our bee block being filled...

If the broadcast excerpts are anything to go by, the book will be a fascinating read... Dave Goulson is the founder of the Bumblebee Conservation Trust and one of the UK's most respected conservationists...
to quote directly from the book review pages...

Dave Goulson has always been obsessed with wildlife, from his childhood menagerie of exotic pets and dabbling in experimental taxidermy to his groundbreaking research into the mysterious ways of the bumblebee and his mission to protect our rarest bees.

Once commonly found in the marshes of Kent, the short-haired bumblebee now only exists in the wilds of New Zealand, the descendants of a few queen bees shipped over in the nineteenth century. Dave Goulson's passionate drive to reintroduce it to its native land is one of the highlights of a book that includes exclusive research into these curious creatures, history's relationship with the bumblebee and advice on how to protect it for all time.

One of the UK's most respected conservationists and the founder of the Bumblebee Conservation Trust, Goulson combines Gerald Durrell-esque tales of a child's growing passion for nature with a deep insight into the crucial importance of the bumblebee. He details the minutiae of life in their nests, sharing fascinating research into the effects intensive farming has had on our bee populations and on the potential dangers if we are to continue down this path.

The book is available from the NHBS and Amazon... on the Amazon page you can look inside, too.... the book reads well!