Buzzin’ about the Hebrides saving bees

Great Yellow Bumblebee feeding on red clover

B-Lines is a response to the decline of bees and other pollinating insects, a plan for how to reconnect our wild places by creating a network of wildflowers across our landscapes.

Our precious pollinators are disappearing from large parts of the countryside – there are fewer bees, hoverflies, butterflies and moths – some species are at risk of extinction in Scotland. But we can change this, by working together to restore wildflower areas in the countryside and urban areas to aid nature’s recovery.

B-Lines provides an opportunity to create a network of wildflower-rich areas across Scotland providing essential routes for pollinators to use.

The B-Lines network in Scotland includes our best habitats and identifies key areas to restore and create new wildflower-rich meadows, important grassland verges and pollinator friendly gardens. B-Lines can be adopted by farmers and landowners, local authorities and the general public across Scotland.

Buglife Scotland Manager, Natalie Stevenson, said: “Launching B-lines across Scotland will help us forge strong partnerships so together we can improve habitats and ensure the important ecological services provided by pollinators can be sustained.

“People across Scotland are realising how critical invertebrates are for a nature-rich future and are beginning to change the way they manage our grasslands. There are so many opportunities on the Outer Hebrides to connect pollinator habitats and we have some exciting projects planned here.”

Katy Malone, Conservation Officer at Bumblebee Conservation Trust, said: “I feel – and am – so incredibly fortunate to be able to work with local communities and individuals in the Outer Hebrides. I’ve seen some our rarest bees and some of the most incredible habitats in Britain here.

“However, even these are under threat, and we should not be complacent. The B-lines programme is a great way to recognise where our most important natural places are, and to help connect them so that bees can continue to thrive.”