Emma Atkinson: Landscape Architect & Garden Designer

The Humble Bumblebee...  Shrill Carder Bumblebee  Bees.. they are all the same aren't they? Honey, Bumble or Solitary? A few bee hives and bee hotels and the problem will be solved. This is what I believed for many years.. until a new project led me to the work of the Bumblebee Conservation Trust.  Over 270 species of bumblebee exist in the UK, many of which are extremely fragile and face the very real possibility of extinction. We are fed through the media that it's the honeybee which is in rapid decline, hence the recent surge in bee keeping and hive's popping up across the country, however bumble bees face far more of a serious threat. Over 25,000 bumblebee colonies are imported from Europe by UK farmers each year to support the pollination of our crops and support food production, due to the decline in populations of British bumblebees. This is a terrifying figure, and without importing bumble bee colonies from Europe, British crops would lack the crucial pollination ...