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<p>Wildflowers provide pollen and nectar resources essential for sustaining wild and
honey bees. Wildflower meadows therefore provide vital habitats for bee populations.</p><p>
</p><p>Published scientific research has established that range contractions in many
of our bee species are linked to the loss of species-rich habitats such as wildflower
meadows. It also found that bee populations are more diverse on farms where wildflowers
are sown or in landscapes with greater densities of wildflower meadows and other species-rich
habitats.</p><p> </p><p>We also know that when we put wildflowers back, bees respond.
Landscape-scale studies of wild bumblebee populations in farmed landscapes, led by
the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology and part-funded by Defra, revealed that providing
flower-rich habitat enhances the long-term survival of bumblebee families.</p><p>
</p><p>Through our programme of agri-environment monitoring, we are currently evaluating
how sowing wildflowers on farms is supporting bee populations.</p><p> </p>
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