British Wildlife: Bees

It’s springtime, meaning the garden is buzzing with the sound of bees, collecting pollen and nectar from a variety of flowers and blossom. They’re attracted to the bright colours and sweet smells of the flowers which rely on the bees to distribute their pollen. This is known as cross-pollination, which some plants require in order to produce seeds. The relationship between bees and flowers is symbiotic as the bees are also rewarded for their hard work by a sweet mixture of water and sugars called nectar which is produced by plants. There are around 250 species of UK bees, but they come under three main types: bumblebees, honeybees and solitary bees. The type flying around this lavender are honeybees.