World Bee Day is celebrated today 20th May!

I’m diving in on this one! On a 2019 National Parks and Wildlife Service checklist of protected and endangered species in Ireland the majority of Bee species mentioned are in the categories of critically endangered, vulnerable or near threatened. They are losing their natural habitat to farming, forestry and urbanization. Climate change also messes with their evolved ecological niches threatening their survival.

What can we do?

Grow pollinator friendly plants in gardens and window boxes.

Good options for Ireland are,

There are plenty more bee friendly plants, try to see what plants are native to your area.

Leave wild patches in your garden if you have the space or get a small bee hotel to hang on an east facing wall as a home for a leaf cutter bee.

I have more information here in Irish with a free calendar of things to help support pollinators.

My lavender bush is visited daily by at least one bumblebee, (I suspect two though, my Bee species identifying skills still need work!) There’s something magic watching them bumble from flower to flower and I always feel way less stressed after. Let's keep that magic going and support our powerhouse pollinators!

If you love beacha agus bumbóga as much as myself you can check out my Bumbóg pin here.