Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to protect (a) solitary bees, (b) honey bees and (c) bumblebees.

Protecting pollinators is a priority for this Government. They are an essential part of our environment and play a crucial role in food production. The National Pollinator Strategy is a 10 year plan setting out how Government, conservation groups, farmers, beekeepers and researchers can work together to improve the status of the 1,500 or so pollinating insect species in England.

Alongside these partners, the Government is taking action to create and manage wildlife-rich habitat, raise awareness, improve bee health and strengthen the evidence base. Each of these actions will benefit solitary bees, honey bees and bumblebees.

More specifically, for solitary bees, we have set out advice on how to manage and provide appropriate habitat to everyone with a garden, window box or access to shared land on the ‘Bees’ Needs’ website at www.bees-needs.org.uk.

For honey bees, Defra maintains an extensive programme of advisory visits and events for beekeepers on pest and disease management and good husbandry. Around 6,000 inspections are carried out each year in England and Wales, through which advice on good husbandry is provided to thousands of beekeepers to help them manage important pests like varroa. We are also tackling threats from invasive non-native species such as the Asian hornet.

For bumblebees, Natural England works in partnership to support the recovery of threatened species. For example, on the Bumblebee Conservation Trust’s project to reintroduce the short-haired bumblebee in Dungeness, alongside the RSPB and over 100 farmers and land owners, which has been so successful in creating extensive, quality habitat that other rare species have started to spread to areas where they have not been recorded for up to 40 years.

Furthermore, both bumblebees and honey bees imported from another country must be accompanied by a health certificate which provides guarantees about the health status of the country and the consignment of bees.