Buzz of city life proves just the tonic for Britain’s struggling bees

BEES must become city dwellers in order to survive, according to a study that found the insects now fare better in towns.

Scientists compared the progress of colonies in urban, village and rural environments and found numbers were roughly three times healthier in builtup areas than in the country.

Holloway University researchers said they believed predators, agricultural pesticides and less food in rural areas meant city gardens and other green spaces had now become safer and more nutritious for bees.

The team captured 176 foraging queens from Windsor Great Park, Surrey, and reintroduced them across 114 sites in London and the South East. They found the numbers of offspring, food store size, and the ability to avoid parasites were greater in towns. Published in the Royal Society Journal, the study is believed to be the first to show a direct relationship between urbanisation and reproductive success.

“Reductions in forage availability in modern agricultural landscapes have been identified as a potential major driver of bee population declines,” the authors wrote. “Accordingly, we found less stored pollen and nectar in agricultural colonies than in city or village colonies, suggesting forage availability may be a contributing factor to poor performance at agricultural sites.”