GOGREEN Snap, don’t swat next time you spot a bee

CITY residents are being urged to reach for their smart phone instead of a rolled up newspaper the next time they spot a bee.

Researchers at Cardiff University are asking the public to take a picture of any bees they spot in the capital as part of a project to make the city more bee friendly.

The university’s Spot a Bee campaign aims to find out which plants are most popular for bees to feed on, and will use the findings to build a map and spot areas where more of these plants may be needed.

Professor Les Baillie, from Cardiff University’s School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, said: “We need help from the people of Cardiff to find out if our city’s parks and back gardens are successfully providing a bountiful home for our winged friends.

“The next time you are in the garden, or walking the dog, keep a look out for bees.

“If you see any, take a picture on your mobile phone of the plants they are buzzing around and send them to us via the website.”

Bees are essential to the planet’s survival as they help produce food and resources.

But their numbers have declined during the past 60 years due to habitat loss from intensive farming, pesticides and climate change.

However, while 90% of the wildflower meadows in the UK have now gone, our towns, parks and back gardens are stocked with a rich diversity of plants that could be a paradise for the buzzing insect.

Prof Baillie added: “We have been encouraging people to plant a variety of wildflowers, whether it is in their back gardens or in more unusual places such as the roofs of urban buildings, ensuring bee numbers don’t dwindle further.”

This isn’t the only bee research the university has undertaken recently.

It has been searching for more flow- ers whose nectar could produce anti- bacterial honey – like the popular manuka variety.

Professor Baillie added: “By plant- ing certain wildflowers whose nectar is present in antibacterial honey, we are hoping to find solutions to one of the world’s grand challenges – antimicrobial resistance.”