Join the Great British Bee Count as part of National Insect Week

People are being urged to take parti in Friends of the Earth’s Great British Bee Count as part of National Insect Week, which starts today and runs until 24 June.

Over 20,000 people have so far taken part in Great British Bee Count (17 May-30 June) recording over 330,000 bees.

Using a fun, free and easy-to-use app, the Great British Bee Count enables people to identify and find out more about the UK’s 250+ bee species, and get tips on what they can do to help them - such as creating bee-friendly spaces in their gardens, patios and balconies.

Thousands of verified bee sightings will also contribute towards the UK government’s Pollinator Monitoring Scheme – which is compiling the first comprehensive health check for Britain’s wild bees and other pollinators.

The Great British Bee Count is sponsored by Ecotalk, and supported by Buglife, the invertebrate conservation trust. The free app can be downloaded here.

National Insect Week encourages people of all ages to learn more about insects. Every two years, the Royal Entomological Society organises the week, supported by a large number of partner organisations with interests in the science, natural history and conservation of insects.

Friends of the Earth bee campaigner Sandra Bell said:

“The Great British Bee Count is a really fun way to find out more about bees and what we can do to help these fabulous insects.

“We’re delighted that so many people have already taken part in this year’s bee count – and there’s still plenty of time to join in.

“Thousands of verified bee sightings will be submitted to the government’s pollinator monitoring scheme.

“Download the free app and get counting.”

Dale Vince, founder of Ecotricity and Ecotalk, said:

“Britain’s bees play a vital role in our environment and in pollinating the crops that feed us - but for the last 50 years they’ve been in decline, this is mostly due to the impact of industrial scale farming as well as a general loss of habitat - land for nature.

“The Great British Bee Count is a great initiative, and Ecotalk is delighted to support it. We’ve launched Ecotalk, Britain's green mobile phone service, powered by renewable energy with the proceeds being used to buy land and give it back to nature - to create new habitats for the bees and other creatures of Britain.”

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