Pollinator Strategy - 2022 Progress Report
Published: 2023
Introduction
Welcome to our fifth Annual Progress Report highlighting the wide range of projects helping deliver The Pollinator Strategy for Scotland.
Our Annual Report is a valuable part of our Pollinator Strategy as it allows us to share news of the work carried out across Scotland by our many partners to help make the country more pollinator-friendly. By highlighting positive actions we celebrate successes and encourage others to follow suit. We would like to thank all of our partners, who range from environmental bodies, local authorities, scientific colleagues and community groups through to individuals, for providing these annual updates.
2022 saw a return to a near-normal season of field work. The pandemic, of course, still impacted on the delivery of some projects but progress was less problematic than during 2020 and 2021. As with last year’s report, we offer a series of links to several inspirational projects which progressed last year. These can be found towards the end of our report.
Our annual conference in 2022 focused on some remarkable examples of community work from Glasgow to Dundee, from Bettyhill to Stirling, and we even threw in a look at Turin. The intention was to share good practice, and our excellent speakers ensured we were able to do so.
There was good news throughout the year from many Local Authorities and Community Groups, with exciting and beneficial pollinator-friendly actions recorded in Ayrshire, Falkirk, Glasgow, Broughty Ferry, Edinburgh, Tiree, Islay, Clydebank, Kinross, and Aberdeen … and that’s just scratching the surface. Projects such as Bumblebee Conservation Trust’s Bee Walks and Buglife’s B-Lines continued to deliver positive outcomes for pollinators, as did the Helping Hands for Butterflies project with its strong focus on habitat creation.
Through our informative and entertaining blog, we also shared information about pollinators across the globe to put our own circumstances and challenges in a wider international context. In a range of articles we looked at subjects as diverse as apple pollination, night-flying pollinators, hedgerows, mosquitoes, the value of ‘weeds’, red mason bees, and much more besides.
It was another good year for the Pollinator Monitoring Research Partnership with more valuable pollinator data gathered from both 1km square surveys and Flower-Insect-Timed Count (FIT Count) exercises. The new app to enable FIT Count reporting to be carried out digitally proved extremely popular as was the presence of a revamped UK Pollinator Monitoring Scheme website. The importance of gathering evidence of change in populations of pollinating insects has surely never been more important.
That’s perhaps an appropriate note to end on as our 2023 Conference will focus on monitoring, and how everyone can get involved.
February 2023
Contents
- Our partners
- Abbreviations
- Objective 1: Pollinator-friendly habitats
- Objective 2: Understanding pollinators and their pollination services
- Objective 3: Manage commercial use of pollinators to benefit native pollinators
- Objective 4: Raise awareness and encourage action
- Objective 5: Evidence - monitor and evaluate whether Scotland's pollinators are thriving
- Pollinator Research Projects
Our partners
In December 2015, we launched a consultation inviting views on proposals for pollinator conservation. The responses underlined the need for collaboration across sectors to promote action that would benefit our pollinators.
The resulting Strategy includes actions for everyone, from Scottish Government and its agencies to conservation groups, farmers, landowners, managers, gardeners, agricultural businesses, commercial businesses and members of the public.
We are reliant on, and grateful to, the following champions of the Pollinator Strategy for Scotland for their ongoing support and project skills:
- Bee Farmers’ Association
- Bee Health Improvement Team
- Buglife
- Bumblebee Conservation Trust
- Butterfly Conservation Scotland
- Central Scotland Green Network Trust
- University of Edinburgh
- Scottish Forestry
- Inverclydebuzz (Inverclyde Pollinator Corridor)
- James Hutton Institute
- Keep Scotland Beautiful
- National Farmers’ Union, Scotland (NFUS)
- Network Rail
- Plantlife
- RSPB Scotland
- Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh
- Science & Advice for Scottish Agriculture
- Scottish Government
- Scottish Environment Protection Agency
- Scottish Land & Estates
- Scottish Beekeepers’ Association
- Soil Association
- Scottish Farming and Wildlife Advisers’ Group
- Scottish Quality Crops
- Scotland’s Rural College
- Scotland’s Farm Advisory Service
- Scotland’s 32 local authorities
- ScotRail
- Scottish Wildlife Trust
- Sustrans Scotland
- UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology
- Woodland Trust
Abbreviations
A number of abbreviations are used throughout this Progress Report:
- AECS Agri-Environment Climate Scheme
- AHDB Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board
- BBCT Bumblebee Conservation Trust
- BC Butterfly Conservation
- BHIP Bee Health Improvement Partnership
- BHIT Bee Health Improvement Team
- CCLP Coalfield Communities Landscape Partnership
- CP Country Park
- UKCEH Centre for Ecology and Hydrology
- CSGNT Central Scotland Green Network Trust
- FIT Flower-insect timed (count)
- HBHS Honey Bee Health Strategy for Scotland
- HLF Heritage Lottery Fund
- IGNN Irvine to Girvan Nectar Network
- IPM Integrated Pest Management
- JHI James Hutton Institute
- JMT John Muir Trust
- KSB Keep Scotland Beautiful
- LBAP Local Biodiversity Action Plan
- NNR National Nature Reserve
- PMRP Pollinator Monitoring and Research Partnership
- PoMS UK Pollinator Monitoring Scheme
- RBGE Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh
- RSPB Royal Society for the Protection of Birds
- SASA Science & Advice for Scottish Agriculture
- SBA Scottish Beekeepers’ Association
- SFAS Scotland’s Farm Advisory Service
- SG Scottish Government
- SNHBS Scottish Native Honey Bee Society
- SQC Scottish Quality Crops
- SRUC Scotland’s Rural College
- SSEN Scottish and Southern Energy Networks
- SWT Scottish Wildlife Trust
Note: The sections which follow track the progress made towards meeting our objectives, and lists projects and actions. This is a dynamic process, and will be updated with new priorities and actions as necessary. A timescale is proposed for the core actions: S = short- (up to 5 years), M = medium- (5– 10 years) or L = long-term (10 years or more).

Image of a Managed for Nature sign in a park, Falkirk describing naturalised grass, bulbs, wildflower meadow and trees.
Objective 1: Pollinator-friendly habitats
What we need to do:
- Prevent further habitat loss and degradation by maintaining and improving the current diversity of semi-natural habitats,
- Promote the restoration and creation of natural flower-rich habitats in the countryside and in urban areas, to support a national ecological network,
- Retain connected habitat networks for wild pollinators and extend pollinator habitats to adjacent areas,
- Implement measures to protect and enhance pollinator habitats,
- Recognise the importance of brownfield sites and manage these to benefit pollinators and other species,
- Encourage the inclusion of pollinators’ needs in land management, and development planning and management through demonstrable biodiversity net gain,
- Incorporate green infrastructure in developments, such as green roofs and rain gardens, to provide additional pollinator habitats, and
- Support the use and development of pollinator-friendly pest control measures, including integrated pest management, in agricultural and urban areas, building on the principles set out in the EU Directive on the Sustainable Use of Pesticides.
Project (S – short term, M – medium term, L – long term) |
Organisation(s) |
Notes |
---|---|---|
Pollinator-friendly planting and sympathetic regime of grass cutting across substantial areas of East Ayrshire Council estate (S) |
East Ayrshire Council |
Creation of a new hedges for wildlife, consisting solely of pollinator-friendly native species. Over 1,500 hawthorn, blackthorn, dog rose, elder, crab apple saplings planted in Dean Castle Country Park, Kilmarnock. In addition areas planted up with fruiting tree/shrub species supplemented with forget-me-not, wildflower species and yellow rattle. Wildflower seed bombs were added to a Growing Memories garden in partnership with Alzheimer Scotland. As part of the Coalfield Communities Landscape Partnership (CCLP), the East Ayrshire Coalfield Environment Initiative is working with landowners and local communities to create or enhance pollinator habitat on derelict Open Cast Coal sites, in Community green spaces and along active travel routes in the CCLP area. |
Falkirk Pollinator Parks – creating flower-rich habitat for pollinators, and pollinator ‘stepping stones’, within and across urban parks in Falkirk and linking to the John Muir Pollinator Way. (S) |
Buglife Falkirk Council |
Project complete: These sites are now being managed in-house by Falkirk Council using cut-and-lift equipment. |
Glasgow public park improvements for nature (L) |
Glasgow City Council |
40,000 pollinator-friendly bulbs planted at Ruchill Park and Queen’s park, 640 square metres meadow managed, with wildflower plugs and bulbs planted with help from TCVs Glasgow Midweek volunteer group. 500 wildflower plugs planted at Queen’s Park by volunteers. TCV meadow management carried out at Elder Park, Necropolis, Ruchill Park and Springburn Park. |
Aberdeen City Council reduction of intensive management of public greenspaces. Encouraging wildflowers, helping pollinating insects, and creating multi-functional greenspaces that support people and nature. (L) |
Aberdeen City Council |
Several sites were selected to be managed in a less intensive fashion at Culter Bypass, Fernielea Park. Kingswells Bypass, Eric Hendrie Park - Stonehaven Road, Riverside Drive, Garthdee Road, Raeden Park, Parkway former Trunk Road Verges, Skene Road Verges, and Riverview Drive. |
Angus coastal grassland and meadow enhancements for pollinators. (L) |
Angus Council Butterfly Conservation Tayside Biodiversity Partnership |
Siteworks and community led planting have created opportunities to enhance species-rich coastal grasslands at various sites. Habitat enhancement contributes to support work started in 2014 to create kidney vetch stepping stones supporting small blue butterfly. |
Brechin Den – urban wetland creation scheme (M) |
Angus Council |
A scheme to de-culvert a watercourse in Brechin town centre has provided an opportunity to develop urban wetland and meadow pollinator habitat that includes flowering species as well as trees. Interpretation has been prepared for the site and further winter- and spring-flowering bulbs are to be planted. Buglife visited the site, found colonies of mining bees, and are providing advice on further enhancements. |
The John Muir Pollinator Way is an inspirational landscape-scale project with considerable pollinator corridor potential. This was Scotland’s first B-Line and created a connected habitat network along the route. (L) |
Buglife Green Action Trust |
SG, NatureScot, CSGNT and Greggs Foundation funding meant target number of pollinator hotspots was exceeded. 32 sites, 8 hectares, along the 134-mile John Muir Way created and enhanced, working in partnership with Local Authorities. An audit has been carried out reviewing opportunities to extend the project remit beyond the immediate confines of the route. |
Encouraging the inclusion of pollinator needs by creating a pollinator-friendly award recognising community creation of space managed for pollinators. (M) |
KSB NatureScot |
Annual award under the ‘It’s Your Neighbourhood’ scheme run by KSB; an award funded by NatureScot. The 2022 winner (as in 2021) was Yorkhill Green Spaces for their community-focused pollinator-friendly work in Glasgow. |
Encouraging Green Infrastructure Fund grantees to maximise the benefits to pollinators within the design and management of their projects. (M) |
NatureScot GISI (Green Infrastructure Strategic Intervention) |
Completed projects at Melfort Park (Clydebank), Fernbrae Meadows (South Lanarkshire), Middlefield Park (Aberdeen) have prominent pollinator-friendly elements. |
In the final year of the Garnock Connections Landscape Partnership several pollinator-friendly outcomes were delivered. ‘Garnock’s Buzzing’ has been a flagship pollinator project for several partners. (M) |
North Ayrshire Council RSPB Scottish Wildlife Trust Buglife SRUC |
In addition to actions reported on in earlier Annual Pollinator Progress reports further wildflower meadows were created at a residential care home near Kilwinning. SRUC published a report on the importance of roadside verges as pollinator habitat. As part of Garnock Connections Community Habitat Restoration project Barmill Conservation Group created 180m2 of flood meadow near the village of Barmill.‘Growing for Garnock’ planted 5227 wildflower plug plants propagated from locally-collected seed. Relaxed mowing regimes continue to be carried out on the previously-created wildflower meadows. |
The Irvine to Girvan Nectar Network (IGNN) is a Scottish Wildlife Trust-led partnership which builds connected habitat networks for wild pollinators and increases the resilience of local pollinator populations. (L) |
Steered by Scottish Wildlife Trust NatureScot North Ayrshire Council South Ayrshire Council |
During 2022 the IGNN had 6 sites monitored regularly by volunteers, created 12 new meadows, trialled the use of green hay to make large meadows, initiated the Ayrshire Wild Apple Tree Pollinator project and sowed Kidney Vetch at 7 sites -building upon the Small Blue butterfly project. The sites supported and enhanced included Eglinton Country Park, areas of rough at Royal Troon GC course and 2ha of public greenspace. All the new meadow managers committed to care for them into the future. |
Inner Forth Habitat Network. Covering CSGN areas of Stirling, Clackmannanshire, Falkirk and Fife. (M) |
Inner Forth Futures |
Promotion and advocacy of the Inner Forth Habitat Network (map and Call-to-Action) and Ecological Coherence approach undertaken by members of the Inner Forth Natural Heritage Working Group. Including through webinar to launch the Habitat Network and Map, presentation to Regional Land Use Partnership Coordinators Network Meeting, by collectively responding to draft NPF4 consultation and with documentation available at a range of face to face events and site visits throughout the year. Identifying opportunities to deliver habitat management, enhancement, restoration and creation across a suite of five key habitats (river and wetland; peatland and heathland; grassland and open mosaic; intertidal; woodland) plus urban areas. The Habitat Network is an example of a regional contribution to Scotland’s Nature Network. |
Inner Forth Wetland Network. Capital work at four wetland sites identified within the Inner Forth Habitat Network. (Stirling, Falkirk and Fife) (S) |
Inner Forth Futures |
Project completed in 2020-21. NatureScot’s Biodiversity Challenge Fund 20-21 funded delivery of the Inner Forth Wetland Network at 4 sites: Bluther Burn, Fife (Fife Council); Bothkennar Pools, Falkirk (Falkirk Council); Carron Dams, Falkirk (Scottish Wildlife Trust); Kildean, Stirling (Stirling Council). Outputs: 0.5ha new wildflower meadow, 1,050 trees planted, various measures for conservation grazing. |
Pollinators along the Tweed (L) |
Buglife Tweed Forum Scottish Borders Council |
‘Pollinators Along the Tweed’ forms part of the Destination Tweed project. The lead organisation is the Tweed Forum. Funding for a development phase came from National Lottery Heritage Fund, NatureScot, Scottish Borders Council. Funding for the project itself contains a wider grouping of funders. The project will be implemented during a five-year delivery period commencing in 2022, and aims to create, restore, and enhance up to 40 hectares of wildflower-rich habitat across 50 sites. PoMS FIT Count work will be included in this project. |
Council Climate Change strategy recognises the importance of pollinators in helping to tackle climate change by highlighting them as a recommended mechanism for climate action (L) |
Clackmannanshire Council |
Improving air quality, achieving negative emissions and providing resilience to climate-related disturbances through tree planting, pollinator and biodiversity-focused initiatives. |
Glasgow City Council implements its own Pollinator Plan, which ensures that the city has a positive approach to creating pollinator-friendly habitat. Hogganfield Park Local Nature Reserve and Queen’s Park are now designated Pollinator Parks. (M) |
Glasgow City Council |
Pollinator Plan actions are included in Glasgow’s Biodiversity Annual Monitoring Report and will be included in future Biodiversity Duty Reports. Habitat management and creation of wildflower areas allied to new signage to raise awareness of pollinators and climate change. Managed for Pollinators signage used - making the link between biodiversity, pollinators and climate action |
Management of parks and greenspaces for environmental benefits. Piloting the use of red clover on path edges and verges to reduce maintenance and provide pollinator forage. (S) |
Falkirk Council |
During March 2021 – October 2022 Falkirk Council ran a Sustainable Grass Management Pilot Project. The project included 35 pilot sites (parks, wide road verges and other council-owned greenspaces) where management was made more sustainable and better for the environment. The changes included: creating extensive areas of naturalised grass, creating strips of wildflower meadow, planting spring bulbs, planting fruit trees, planting areas of native broadleaves. Detailed project analysis demonstrated that the work delivered benefits for well-being, climate and particularly biodiversity. In October 2022 Falkirk Council approved the roll-out of similar enhancements across most of its other parks and greenspaces. Work to deliver this extensive roll-out is ongoing. |
Reducing roadside verge management focus on a 1m strip where services are based: out with this strip flowers are flourish as per cycle. By cutting the 1m strip we have improved pollinator provision by the timing of maintenance which allows a second if not third flowering depending on the regime. Pollinator-friendly provision has included in Hermitage Park in Helensburgh restoration project. Public realm works in our six towns (Oban, Dunoon, Lochgilphead, Campbeltown, Helensburgh and Rothesay) which have included both perennial and annual planting as part of contributing to the green network. (M) |
Argyll and Bute Council |
The Council’s cutting regime remains sympathetic to pollinator needs. Working with Islay Wildlife Trust continues to enable the Council to extend the reach of preferred roadside verge management practices. The council also continues to contribute to the Buglife B-Lines project in the Argyll and our islands. |
On the Verge is a project that works with local schools and community groups to manage pollinator-friendly sites in the Stirling and Clackmannanshire areas. (L) |
On the Verge community group |
Work continues with community groups to either sow new areas of native wildflowers, or better manage existing grassland, to encourage wildflowers by using cut and collect method, and yellow rattle. Members of the group also collect wildflower seed locally to sow into new areas. These spaces are typically in school grounds, parkland, or pockets of abandoned land. The group is also involved in the Beds for Bees project. |
Increasing promotion of road verge guidelines on management and creation of pollinator-friendly road verges. (L) |
Plantlife |
Managing Grassland Road Verges publication was well-received nationally and further enhances the argument that roadside verges managed for wildlife are a biodiversity boost. |
West Lothian B-Lines. An HLF project which completed in May 2021 (S) |
West Lothian Council Buglife |
Project Complete 18 wildflower meadows created across West Lothian as part of Buglife’s UK B-Lines initiative; 70% average increase in wildflower species and a 50% average increase in pollinator species were observed per meadow in the first year. Project engaged over 578 people in invertebrate ID workshops and habitat creation events; meadow factsheet distributed to 52 staff; design and placement of 6 new permanent site interpretation boards in parks. Buglife led 8 plant and insect ID workshops in the meadows and adjacent freshwater habitats, to help us assess the quality of these habitats and to inspire local people to get involved and record their observations. |
Stirling Council Pollinator Plan (L) |
Stirling Council |
The Council is committed to reducing the area of intensively managed grass and following a reduced management regime. A public consultation on a local Pollinator Strategy for Stirling has taken place. The council has a target of managing 50% of our open space for biodiversity |
Aberdeenshire Pollination Action Plan (L) |
Aberdeenshire Council |
Aberdeenshire Council launched its third Pollinator Action Plan. This and previous plans recognise the need for urgent action to protect and enhance pollinator populations. This Action Plan is a cross-service document that identifies key areas of Council work up to March 2027 in alignment with The Pollinator Strategy for Scotland. |
Meadow creation at a new development site - Thurso South substation, managed by Scottish and Southern Energy Networks (SSEN). (L) |
Bumblebee Conservation Trust Consultants WSP SSEN |
Following the sowing of a tailored pollinator wildflower seed mix on 10ha around substation site near Thurso, in 2020 a great yellow bumblebee was recorded for the first time on the site. Further sightings were recorded in 2021 by BBCT staff. Follow-up management in 2022 successfully knocked back areas of coarse grass that had started to encroach. Further monitoring surveys are planned for 2024 and 2027 and SSEN plan to take forward a case study on the site. |
Central Scotland Buglife B-Lines partnership. (L) |
Buglife South Lanarkshire Council |
Continue to maintain, monitor and enhance the 11 Buglife Central B-line project areas in and around Lanark. In 2022 surveyed the sites, added further wildflower seed and installed signage. Continued to worked in partnership with Butterfly Conservation – 2022 was the final year of the three-year ‘Helping Hands for Butterflies Project’. This project created three urban meadows in Blantyre and Hamilton. Will continue to manage, monitor these sites, working with volunteers and local friends groups. |
Wild Line and Daisy Chain Projects (S) |
Edinburgh University RBGE City of Edinburgh Council |
A consortium led by the RBGE was awarded a grant from the Biodiversity Challenge Fund to undertake several interventions along the south coast of the Firth of Forth in Edinburgh between Cramond and Gypsy Brae. Included is planting of 8 individual x 500m2 wildflower meadows in a linear array along the shore, using a native wildflower seed to deliver high nectar and pollen benefit to a range of pollinating insects. In November 2021 the meadows were enriched with plug plants of selected species and sown with yellow rattle. The City of Edinburgh Council has committed to maintaining the meadows for at least 10 years. |
NC500 B-Lines report (S) |
Buglife |
A report taking account of insects and plantlife along the course of this popular tourism route in the North of Scotland has completed. This analysis sought to identify areas which would most benefit from improved management and actions to increase habitat for pollinators. Completed. |
Pollinator-friendly practices (L) |
Inverclyde Council |
Inverclyde Council projects at the former Hector McNeil baths site and Craigend Resource Centre are still in progress, they should complete by end of March 2023 |
Bluebell seed bank creation (S) |
Woodland Trust |
Woodland Trust’s volunteer working group at Kinclaven Bluebell Wood collected bluebell seeds under licence in August 2021 for propagation. This ensuring their seeds form part of a bluebell seed bank. A significant number of native trees were planted on Woodland Trust’s own sites and via outreach work in 2022 |
Series of Wildflower areas created with pollinator provision (M) |
North Lanarkshire Council |
Areas planted in Strathclyde Country Park, Drumpellier Country Park, and Palacerigg Country Park. Signage explains the biodiversity benefits. |
Wildflower meadow creation and management. (M) |
South Lanarkshire Council |
Award from the Nature Restoration Fund allowed SLC to create many wildflower meadows within newly designated LNRs. Continued to maintain and further enhance sites at Fernbrae Meadows, Greenhall & Milheugh (Blantyre), whilst creating new meadows at Mossneuk and Langlands Moss in East Kilbride. In 2020, 20ha of planted conifer trees were removed from Langlands Moss LNR – whilst the majority of this land was allowed to regenerate naturally to wet woodland, SLC also created habitats supporting wildflower meadow and wet/marshy grassland. Wildflower seed and plug plants for many butterfly species added at various sites, with help from Butterfly Conservation (Bog squad) and local volunteers, for common blue, large heath and small pearl-bordered fritillary butterflies. NRF (22/23) intended to create and enhance more areas within our LNR’s for pollinators. |
Pollinator-friendly planting and sympathetic regime of grass cutting across substantial areas of council grounds. (S) |
East Dunbartonshire Council |
In addition to previous years’ work, ongoing perennial meadow management of cut-and-bale sites was carried out. In 2022 the council also created new pictorial meadows on roundabouts and some amenity areas. Nature Restoration Fund money helped with scarifying and yellow rattle seeding of Balmore roadside verges. |
Objective 2: Understanding pollinators and their pollination services
What we need to do:
- Improve our knowledge of plant–pollinator interactions, including the relationship between wild pollinators and habitat size, quality, type and connectedness to other areas of habitat, and
- Better understand, through spatial mapping, the resources available to pollinators on a landscape scale.
Table 2. Understanding pollinators and their pollination services.
Project |
Organisation |
Update |
---|---|---|
Encouraging Scottish growers to complete an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) plan and encouraging local authorities to apply the principles of IPM to ground maintenance and management. Supporting and promoting IPM, and targeted use of pesticides, in agricultural and urban areas. Supporting and complying with approved advice supplied for the GB governance structure. (M) |
SG SQC |
The refreshed agricultural IPM assessment plan for use by Scottish businesses improves on the previous version by allowing the industry’s progress in adopting IPM to be measured. The plan uses a metric for measuring IPM adoption, derived with stakeholder input that assigns weightings to the different pest management options and scores farms on a 0-100 scale for IPM adoption. Reviewing plans across multiple years will allow the increasing uptake of IPM by the sector to be demonstrated to the industry’s customers and to Government and its agencies. The IPM Plan is hosted on the Plant Health Centre website. The Scottish Government continues to support the restriction on three neonicotinoids (Clothianidin, Imidacloprid and Thiamethoxam) in response to the evidence of their effect on the environment, particularly on bees. These restrictions go beyond the partial ban that has been in place since 2013 and, from December 2018 use is limited to permanent greenhouses where exposure to bees and other pollinators is not expected. Scottish Quality Crops (SQC) have introduced a requirement for growers to complete an IPM plan to meet the SQC assurance scheme standards. In 2020 the Minister for Rural Affairs and the Environment launched the new Amenity Standard, developed by the Amenity Forum in partnership with stakeholders. The Amenity Standard is a quality management standard designed to provide reassurance that those involved in maintaining amenity areas operate at the highest professional standards and that such operations are undertaken safely by trained personnel. The Scottish Government continues to support the Amenity Forum in publicising and increasing the uptake of the Amenity Standard. |
Butterfly Conservation identification classes provide entry-level knowledge of plant–pollinator interactions and contribute to monitoring goals. Meadow creation work benefits a range of pollinators. (S) |
Butterfly Conservation |
Over 240 people received training in butterfly identification and recording between March and July 2022. This was through a mix of online workshops early in the year and in-person workshops from May onwards. 35 new volunteers took on butterfly monitoring transects this year, contributing thousands of records through regular monitoring to help us improve the statistics for how butterfly populations are faring in Scotland. The Helping Hands for Butterflies project concluded in September 2022. Pollinator and plant diversity had increased dramatically at all of the nine urban meadows created through the project – breeding butterflies were found at 8 of the 9 meadows. The full project report can be found on the Butterfly Conservation Scotland page. |
Gather and analyse data to better understand pollinator population trends, habitat availability and connectivity to ensure that the correct actions are being taken for pollinators and habitats (M) |
BBCT |
With research partners the Earlham Institute, the BBCT collected samples of genetic material from great yellow bumblebees (using non-lethal methods) across a number of sites in Sutherland, Caithness and Orkney. The aim is to monitor genetic relatedness in the northern populations of GYB and whether inbreeding could be a factor in population decline. |
Identifying optimum plants and habitat area size for wild pollinators in different management situations. (M) |
SRUC |
Research projects exploring optimum farm management and landscape-scale measures to protect and promote pollinators. Pollinator-friendly management actions are being evaluated at AHDB Prestonhall Monitor Farm and Soil Association Pollinator Demonstration Farm. This work has helped shape NatureScot’s field margin scorecard and is being written up for publication. Monitoring will continue at Prestonhall Farm via a PhD studentship. A PhD studentship exploring the impact of varietal differences of oilseed rape on insect pollination is now successfully completed. Findings have been published open access in Agronomy and Basic and Applied Ecology. SRUC contributed to a collaborative project to develop practical methods for assessing insect pollination services provided by a site of conservation interest. This research, led by the University of Leeds is now published (December 2021) and included in the Toolkit for Ecosystem Service Site-based Assessment (TESSA). SRUC participated in an expert elicitation process led by Leiden University. This process aimed to create quantitative values enabling pollinators to be included in Life Cycle Assessments. The work was undertaken under RESAS-funded project Modelling the current and future GHG emissions and wider impacts in the Scottish beef, sheep and dairy sectors (SRUC-C5-1) and has been submitted for publication. SRUC are monitoring the foraging value of different upland habitats under RESAS-funded project Seeking multiple benefits from natural carbon stores in the uplands (SRUC-D4-1). SRUC has worked with NatureScot in this project to test upland scorecards developed under Piloting an Outcome Based Approach in Scotland (POBAS). |
|
SRUC University of Edinburgh |
NERC DTP-funded PhD studentship Using remote sensing to monitor floral habitats for pollinators is now in its third year. This studentship explores the potential for imaging to help detect the quality of field margins (i.e. via UAV footage) and species-rich grasslands (i.e. via static photography). |
|
SRUC University of Edinburgh JHI |
NERC DTP-funded PhD studentship Assessing Scotland’s Pollinator Strategy: Taking a ‘Real-World’ approach is now in its second year. The studentship is exploring the impact of Agri-environmental interventions on pollinators, and testing the applicability of NatureScot’s field margin and hedgerow scorecards developed under POBAS. |
Evaluating methods of management that benefit pollination in field margins and diverse habitat areas at farming and landscape-scale sites. (L) |
JHI |
Analysis to confirm links between pest control and nearby pollinator-friendly habitats, including reference to an EU-Frameworks project looking at farmer clusters for more effective biodiversity-friendly management. |
FAS Scotland and SRUC are committed to promoting IPM plans and delivering knowledge exchange activities on IPM and beneficial insects to key stakeholders. (L) |
SFAS SRUC AHDB |
Information video on IPM is available online via the Farm Advisory Service’s Crop and Soils and Environmental Portals. New FAS publications focusing on Making Pesticide Use Sustainable are in development. New content developed for FAS environmental portal highlighting the value different habitats play in promoting beneficial insects, with signposting to other resources (January 2022). |
PollMap |
NatureScot |
NatureScot has been developing a spatial mapping resource to better understand the habitat resources available to pollinators on a landscape scale. This should be published in Spring 2023 on the NatureScot website, as a web mapping application available via a dashboard format. Some of the mapped resource will be relatively detailed incorporating mapped data from B-Lines and similar. Some will be at a fairly coarse level until any more detailed data becomes available. The mapping will help with understanding what habitats are where, and their level of suitability as a resource for pollinators. It will also help identify areas where positive changes could be made to enhance the resource for pollinators. A story map version will also be provided which will explain more about pollinators and what they need in terms of habitat for their whole life cycles (including signposting to relevant resources), explain the rationale behind the mapping and caveats relating to data resolution. |
Objective 3: Manage commercial use of pollinators to benefit native pollinators
What we need to do:
- Ensure the process of screening commercial honey bees, and imported/managed bumblebees, for pests and diseases continues to safeguard our wild pollinators,
- Review biosecurity measures for imported bees, particularly bumblebees, aiming to support healthy populations of pollinators in the wild,
- Ensure that practical advice is available to reduce the potential for pest and pathogen transfer, and disease impacts on wild pollinators,
- Reduce the reliance on imported bees for commercial pollination, and
- Encourage and support ways to increase the use of naturally occurring pollinators.
Table 3. Manage commercial use of pollinators to benefit native pollinators.
Project | Organisation | Update |
---|---|---|
Supporting and sustaining a healthy honey bee population and beekeeping industry in Scotland through continuing to implement the measures set in the Honey Bee Health Strategy for Scotland (HBHS). (S) |
SG SASA SRUC Bee Farmers’ Association SBA |
SG in collaboration with the Bee health Improvement Partnership (BHIP) published the new Scottish Honey Bee Health Strategy 2022-2032 in June 2022. The main aim of the strategy is “Working in partnership to achieve a healthy and sustainable population of honey bees in Scotland” and the BHIP meet regularly to agree priorities and monitor progress. The Implementation Plan is a working document detailing the actions required to deliver the aims of this strategy and updates are regularly published. |
Publishing an informative position statement on the interplay between wild bumblebees and managed honey bees. (M) |
BBCT |
Bumblebee Conservation Trust have published a position statement on the interactions between managed honey bee colonies and wild bumblebees with recommendations for minimising conflict. |
Imported bees Identifying actions required to minimise the risks of managed bees (imported and locally produced) to native pollinator species. Reviewing the pathways by which commercially-produced pollinators enter Scotland to determine the scale and biosecurity risks. Develop a suite of tests and a standardised process to assess bumblebee health; ensure best practice guidance is available for pollinator box users. |
Scottish Bee Inspectorate |
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Objective 4: Raise awareness and encourage action
What we need to do:
- Ensure that the value and vulnerability of plants and their pollinators is widely recognised,
- Increase awareness within key sectors and among the public of opportunities to help pollinators and their habitats,
- Support and raise awareness of schemes and organisations that encourage people to identify and record pollinating species,
- Support initiatives by local and national environmental groups that increase the diversification and connectivity of flower-rich and other pollinator habitats in the countryside and urban areas,
- Encourage and support land managers to restore or create native flower-rich habitats to enhance pollinator, and abundance and diversity. Work together to carry out
- management at a landscape scale, including urban green space and urban fringe areas.
Table 4. Raise awareness and encourage action
Project | Organisation | Update |
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The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh highlights the presence and role of pollinators, helps provide suitable habitat, and supports monitoring of pollinator communities across Scotland and Europe. (S) | RBGE | The annual pictorial meadow, native wildflower meadow (containing c. 40 wildflower species), and large areas of living lawn encourage visitors to think about different forms of meadow landscapes and encourage them to create similar habitats in their own communities, whilst providing valuable nectar sources during the season. In winter 2022 a new bed of wild-collected pollinator-friendly prairie plants was sown, to investigate whether these species are now suited to Scotland’s increasingly warm summers whilst contributing to ex situ conservation of threatened prairie species. RBGE is also a partner in the Edinburgh Living Landscapes programme, which includes creating, maintaining and monitoring pollinator-friendly habitats across the city, such as green roofs, meadows, and ‘square metres for butterflies’. Volunteer phenology-recording project documents annual changes in flowering time across the RBGE estate, highlighting pollinator-impacting shifts due to climate change. Starting in 2022, RBGE is co-leading a large European Horizon-2020 programme – Biodiversity Genomics Europe – which will include pan-European DNA-barcoding of bees, butterflies, moths and hoverflies at 450 sites, including high mountain habitats in Scotland, to create a barcode reference library supporting ongoing monitoring efforts and rapid eDNA assessment of pollinator community health. |
Downloadable guides on the Garden for Life Forum offering tips and encouragement for wildlife-friendly gardening (S). | Keep Scotland Beautiful / Garden for Life Forum | Includes section ‘Bedding plants for pollinators‘ |
Providing regular updates, news and features on pollinator-related activity through the Scotland’s Pollinator blog and the associated Twitter feed (S) | NatureScot | Publishing blogs, social media posts, children’s resources, and website updates. Sharing and cross-promoting these materials. Investigating options to ‘place’ pollinator stories in the press. We have 1,788 Twitter followers. (1,450 and 950 respectively in the previous two years). Our blogs increased from 4,500 views in 2019 to 8,700 views in 2020 and 15,358 views in 2022. |
Native wildflower seeds for gardens and communities | NatureScot | We have provided seed packets of native wildflower seeds, both small packets for gardens or planters and larger packets for schools and community groups. |
Continuing to develop guidance, tailored to a range of audiences (farmers, councils, schools, gardeners), on practical action to help pollinators. This increases awareness of the value of assisting and recording pollinator species. (S) | BBCT Buglife Butterfly Conservation | A wide range of guidance published on these organisations’ websites. For example, BBCT and RSPB have jointly published a factsheet on managing golf courses for bumblebees. This can be downloaded, and hard copies are available on request. |
Working with partners, including policymakers and those with practical skills in the management of habitats, to raise public awareness and understanding of the needs and status of pollinator populations. Video guidance and information for farmers. (S) | SFAS SRUC Soil Association | Three SFAS practical guides available online via the Farm Advisory Service’s Environmental Portal:
Podcast highlighting the role that Moths play in our ecosystem in conjunction with Butterfly Conservation. Targeted information for Land Management for the Great Yellow Bumblebee is now available through the FAS environmental portal. SRUC and SFAS teamed up to provide four on-farm events targeted to enhancing the environmental sustainability of grassland farms. Written outputs included a practical guide on Encouraging Pollinators without costing production . An online toolkit has been developed to help farmers select site-specific mixtures for establishment of multi-species swards. SFAS is working with The Net Zero Arran group, originally focused on climate change benchmarking, has begun work to also enhance the island for nature conservation, supported by the Bumblebee Conservation Trust. This farmer-led focus group are implementing land management practices targeted to pollinators. |
Agri-Environment Climate Scheme, under the SRDP. (L) | NatureScot | Agri-environment funding for pollinators is being accessed via this scheme. 80% of crops grown in Scotland rely on insect pollination. Acting as a partner in delivering the Agri-Environment Climate Scheme (AECS), there are currently over 2,900 contracts in place for agri-environment measures under the Scheme, with a total value of £225 million. Included are many actions, particularly for the arable and organic sectors, specifically targeted to pollinator needs as well as for the management of semi-natural grasslands. The scheme has been running annual application rounds since 2015, with more restricted rounds in the last two years. Another round of the scheme is expected for 2024. |
Green Connectors Project | Glasgow City Council | Green Connectors 5-year project creating integrated habitat linkages throughout the city for pollinators and other wildlife by wildflower, hedge and tree planting in appropriate sites. Phase 1 was funded by the NatureScot Biodiversity Challenge Fund and Glasgow CC now has a commitment of £1.5 million from GCC budget over 5 years to implement this across the rest of the city which demonstrates the Council’s commitment to support pollinators. 13 meadow sites across city managed. The project is a collaboration between Glasgow City Council, Parks Development Team and RSPB Scotland |
NatureScot is working with Scottish Government to develop revised policy for the CAP/Brexit transition period 2021 – 2024. (M) | NatureScot | Focus on maintaining stability of current farming support scheme architecture, simplifying it where possible, whilst amending it to help address the climate change emergency (see 2019 IPCC report) and biodiversity loss (see 2019 IPBES report). Future, post-2024, rural policy and how a more transformational change in land use can deliver on the above policy drivers as well as build a resilient and diverse rural economy are central elements. A proposed Agriculture Bill is expected to go through the Scottish Parliament to provide the powers for developing future support systems including nature restoration. NatureScot has been trialling different approaches, such as Piloting an outcome-based approach to agriculture support in Scotland (POBAS) which included testing biodiversity outcomes on a range of farm types (intensive arable included), and developing Biodiversity audit. |
Illustrating what public good looks like on Scottish Farms (pollinators are listed as a public good) to demonstrate the public benefits generated by farm support schemes and nature-friendly practices. (L) | NatureScot |
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Ongoing awareness- raising of the invasive non-native Asian hornet through the Asian hornet contingency plan and associated guidance on BeeBase. (M) | SG SASA SBA | Continued raising awareness through public engagement activities and sentinel beekeepers. Asian Hornet Week activities through public media and monitoring by beekeepers at apiaries. Updates are regularly forwarded to relevant audiences. |
Montrose Space for Nature project. Changing grass-cutting regime and herbicide application on open sites in Montrose. (M) | Angus Council | 2km stretch of cycle path reduced from 16 to 1 or 2 cuts per year and yellow rattle seeding has taken place, reducing competition from dominant grasses, to allow wildflowers to thrive. Two other sites in Montrose were managed for pollinators in 2021 and the project is now in its 3rd year. A wider range of invertebrate species is seen each year. This approach was extended to Arbroath and was rolled out in more Angus burghs in 2022. Pond habitats in urban areas are a new focus and wetland plants and pond-edge grassland areas are being enhanced. |
Strathmore ‘Pollinators & People’ B-Lines Project | Buglife Scotland Angus Council Perth & Kinross Council Tayside Biodiversity Partnership River South Esk Catchment Partnership | Developing a multifaceted B-lines project from Montrose to Dunkeld. Habitat creation, community engagement and overall improved connectivity are central to the project which runs the length of Strathmore. Community engagement has begun as have changes to grass-cutting regimes, and supplementary seed and bulb enhancement. Angus Council purchased cut and lift machinery with its 2021/22 Nature Restoration Fund allocation, for use across Angus settlements. |
Increasing ID skills for Open Mosaic Habitats (OMH) invertebrates and solitary bees, increasing conservation knowledge and species records within the Inner Forth area (S) | Buglife, Inner Forth Futures | Inner Forth Landscape Initiative Legacy Funds provided to Buglife Scotland for August 2022 project that had the with aim of increasing ID skills for Open Mosaic Habitats (OMH) invertebrates and solitary bees, increasing conservation knowledge and species records within the Inner Forth area. Outputs:
Beneficiaries of the courses came from Buglife, Bumblebee Conservation Trust, Falkirk Council and a volunteer with a specialist interest in Open Mosaic Habitats (OMH). |
Objective 5: Evidence – monitor and evaluate whether Scotland’s pollinators are thriving
What we need to do:
- Gather and analyse data to better understand pollinator population trends, habitat availability and connectivity to ensure that the correct actions are being taken for pollinators and habitats,
- Support monitoring and recording schemes for key species, notably bees, hoverflies, moths, butterflies and wild plants, and
- Encourage citizen science and other volunteer projects that add value to existing monitoring initiatives to help deliver the National Pollinator Monitoring Scheme.
Table 5. Evidence – monitor and evaluate whether Scotland’s pollinators are thriving
Project | Organisation | Update |
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Completing regular LBAP monitoring reports and obligatory Biodiversity Duty reports. These increasingly highlight specific pollinator-friendly actions. (L) | Local authorities | These regular and detailed reports will be of considerable help in building a clearer picture of the state of our pollinators. Attendance by the Pollinator Strategy Manager at LBAP meetings enhances connections and sharing of good practice. |
BeeWalk is a standardised citizen science monitoring scheme that collects bumblebee data from across the UK to gain an accurate understanding of current bumblebee populations and distributions. (L) | BBCT | The 2021 BeeWalk Annual Report covers bumblebee monitoring and the 2021 report covers the years 2008 to 2021. This is the most comprehensive data on bumblebee abundance throughout the UK. Updates are available on the BBCT website. |
Using objectives outlined in Scotland’s Pollinator Strategy Implementation Plan to monitor achievements and direct future efforts. (L) | NatureScot | The Implementation Plan was amended in 2021 to reflect progress and areas identified as needing further work. This Annual Progress Report ensures current information and projects are highlighted to help to inform future actions. |
Pollinator Demonstration Farm Lochend of Barra in Aberdeenshire provides a platform to explore and demonstrate means of enhancing pollinator provision in intensive arable farming systems. (L) | Soil Association SRUC | Work now completed. Three-year demonstration project assessed plant mix and habitat size implications for pollinators. Key findings were presented at a stakeholder meeting entitled RESAS Sustainability Webinar Series: Integrated pest management and pollinators (February 2021). |
Large-scale farm experiment testing methods for sustainable intensification of arable and grassland farming. (L) | UKCEH | The ASSIST programme https://assist.ceh.ac.uk ran until 2022 with experimental sites across England testing impacts of a) flower margins and in-field strips on pollinators, pollination and natural pest control in arable crops and; b) sustainable grazing and pasture enhancement on grassland farms. The results will be shared across the UK. ASSIST is also producing novel tools for farm and landscape-planning. |
Supporting the National Pollinator Monitoring Scheme in Scotland. (L) | UKCEH NatureScot SG JNCC | Support of PoMS work through promotion and co-funding of the FIT Count, and 1km square surveys, data analysis and reporting. PoMS now resourced under a new MoA between JNCC and UKCEH until 2025. |
Developing a Scottish monitoring programme through BioBlitz surveys. (L) | JHI | Using the JHI estate and surrounding farms to assess pollinator species and their numbers. Pan trapping used to sample pollinators from Balruddery Farm continued as part of a PhD project to assess pollinator diversity in relation to habitat availability. |
Species on the Edge | BBCT Buglife Scotland NatureScot | The Bees on the Edge element of this project is part of the national partnership project, Species on the Edge. BotE aims to conserve rare and declining bees in Shetland, Orkney, the far north coast and the Hebrides. The project runs from January 2023 – December 2026. |
Pollinator Research Projects
The findings of the following research studies will be of interest in relation to the Pollinator Strategy for Scotland and further afield. We welcome updates from the projects to include in this and future Annual Progress Reports.
The aims of the research included in this listing broadly fall into the following five main areas:
- Pollinators’ habitats, biology and ecology;
- Taxonomy;
- Pesticides;
- Climate change;
- Pests and diseases
If you are involved in a research project which supports the aims of the Pollinator Strategy for Scotland please get in touch.

Image of a bumblebee feeding on a flower on the Scottish island of Tiree.
- Pollinators’ habitats, biology and ecology
The use of unmanned aerial vehicles to monitor pollinator assemblages. This multidisciplinary project explores the use of high-resolution images captured by drones to predict pollinator assemblages on the ground. (Edinburgh University, SRUC) NERC-funded PhD project, 2020-2024.
Long-term potential and cost-effectiveness of grassland and sward diversification to improve foraging resources for pollinators. (James Hutton Institute) 2018-2021.
The Bees’ needs. Using molecular analysis of bee-collected pollen to understand which plants play an important role in honey bee forage. Honey bees are abundant generalist foragers, and uniquely managed by man. They can therefore be useful indicators of forage availability for the wider pollinator population. The output of this project has helped inform land use and planting to benefit Scottish pollinators, particularly during early/late season forage gaps. (SASA, Strathclyde University, SBA, Coloss) Published 2018
The potential of nitrogen-fixing crops to provide resources for insect pollinators. Alternative approaches to sustainable land management. (SRUC, JHI). This work is now complete and written up in a peer-reviewed publication, blog and policy briefing 2016-2022
Alternative approaches to sustainable land management. The impact of agri-environmental interventions on beneficial insects and ecosystem service at the farm scale This work will be continued via a NERC DTP PhD and key findings presented at stakeholder meetings. (SRUC) 2018-2022
The value of gardens for floral resources to pollinating insects. Using DNA meta-barcoding to study the foraging preferences of bumblebees, hoverflies and solitary bees (National Botanic Garden of Wales, Bangor University) 2020.
Plants for pollinators: developing and testing seed mixes for pollinators in gardens and amenity spaces. Testing annual seed mixes for their suitability to bumblebees, hoverflies and solitary bees. (National Botanic Garden of Wales, Aberystwyth University) 2020.
The Pasture for Pollinators project looks at how dairy farmers can manage their forage resources to conserve and enhance populations of pollinators, bumblebees in particular. The work is based on six organic farms in North East Wales, Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire. (European Innovation Partnership Wales, Bumblebee Conservation Trust) 2018 – 2020
The role of road verges in conservation of wild pollinators. (University of Cambridge, Bumblebee Conservation Trust). 2020 – to date.
Monitoring floral resources with remote-sensing satellites and unmanned aerial vehicles. (University of East Anglia, Hutchinsons Ltd.). 2017 to date.
Relative importance of wild and managed pollinators in soft fruit production. (University of East Anglia, Berry World)
Sustainable Management of Orchard Pollination Services. A team of industry and academic partners tested pollinator management strategies in apple orchards, including flower-rich margins and nesting habitats, to boost pollinator populations and improve yield and crop quality. Paper on Establishment and management of wildflower areas for insect pollinators in commercial orchards: (University of Reading, UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, National Institute of Agricultural Botany, Avalon Produce, Worldwide Fruit, Syngenta). 2018 to 2020.
The GFS Resilient pollinators project. Spatial modelling to identify and value the UK’s pollinator natural capital, how this is likely to change under future scenarios and the implications of these changes for the resilience of pollination services to UK agriculture. (University of Reading, University of Huddersfield, University of Northampton, Global Food Security). 2019 to date.
The Pollinator Monitoring and Research Partnership (PMRP) was established in 2014 to implement the UK Pollinator Monitoring Scheme (PoMS). In 2017 1 km square surveys began. The cost of running a well-designed monitoring scheme is significantly lower than the value of pollination services to the UK economy and provides high quality scientific data for a lower cost than running separate research projects. (University of Reading, UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology) 2014-2027.
Under UK PoMS, the wider citizen-science pollinator Flower-Insect Timed Counts began in 2018. 3,777 counts submitted across the UK during 2022. The FIT Count app is being developed for use in EU member states and S America (UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology and the PMRP) 2018-2025.
The PMRP wider citizen-science pollinator Flower-Insect Timed Counts began in 2018. Last year over 1,600 counts submitted. (UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology and the PMRP) 2018-2027.
X-Polli:Nation. Research into methods and ideas for monitoring and conserving pollinators, improving citizen science practice and researching how Artificial Intelligence technologies can be used to monitor pollinators. It encourages citizens to create, maintain and monitor pollinator-friendly habitats (University of Aberdeen, Open University, Imperial College London, Learning Through Landscape, Museo di Storia Naturale della Maremma (Italy)). Current.
Effects of future agricultural change scenarios on beneficial insects. Study concluded that restoring semi-natural grassland should result in increases in pollinator richness and functional diversity, even if agricultural practices remain intensive on cropped land. In contrast, any expansion of arable land is likely to be accompanied by widespread declines in richness of beneficial insects, even if cropping practices become less intensive. (UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology) 2020
The impact of upland grazing management on floristic composition, pollinator assemblages and the robustness of plant-pollinator interaction networks. Alternative approaches to sustainable land management (SRUC) 2016-2022.
The structure and species-richness of plant-pollinator networks. This research showed how the removal of flowers provided by more generalised plants can negatively affect patterns of interaction between the remaining flowers and pollinators. It provided further evidence of the importance of common plants for flower-visiting insect communities (Czech Academy of Sciences). 2020.
- Taxonomy
Characterisation of the British honey bee metagenome. This project aimed to delve into the genetics and microbiome of British honey bees, identifying some key ‘friends and foes’ responsible for bee health, and building on previous work to assess the importance of ‘native, hardy’ honey bee stocks; thus highlighting the importance of sustainable local honey bee populations. (Roslin Institute, University of Edinburgh, Fera Science Ltd, Newcastle University, SASA, Agroscope Switzerland, University of Agricultural Sciences Uppsala Sweden) 2018
High sample genotyping for estimating C-lineage introgression in the dark honey bee. This highly collaborative project looked at genetic diversity across European honey bee populations. This paper highlighted the prevalence of native black bee genetics in northern and western populations despite continual importation of bees, indicating that these genes may play an important role in resilience in harsher climatic regions. (CIMO Portugal, CBMA Portugal, National University of Ireland Galway, Roslin Institute, Agroscope Switzerland, Aarhus University Denmark, Universidad de Murcia Spain, CNRS France, Universite de Versailles France, SASA, Texas A&M University USA) 2018
DNA metabarcoding to investigate the foraging preferences of honey bees and a UK- wide survey of honey to investigate landscape-level foraging. (National Botanic Garden of Wales, Bangor University) 2020.
- Pests and diseases
Development of a robust subclinical method for the analysis of European foulbrood in honey bee colonies. The aim of this project is to provide additional tools to support the European Foulbrood Control Plan, identifying ‘contact colonies’ prior to symptomatic disease to reduce the pathogen load at the apiary level, improving sustainability and reducing pathogen spill-over to neighbouring honey bee colonies. (SASA) 2022
Healthy Honey Bees – analysis of the Deformed Wing Virus population to assess rational Varroa control on a Scottish island. Project investigated whether co-ordinating varroa control across beekeeping communities may improve control of the pest, overall bee health and sustainability. (University of St Andrews, University of Aberdeen, SASA) 2020
Development of a rapid screening tool to identify bumblebee pathogens. This aim of this student placement project was to build capability at SASA to monitor for pathogens affecting bumblebees, and to assess potential infestations which could affect both managed and wild bee populations. Capability now in place (at SASA) and available for use in the field. (University of St Andrews, SASA) 2018
The PoshBee project is assessing the combined risks of pesticides, pathogens and poor nutrition on wild and managed bees to improve practices and policies. (Reading University, Royal Holloway University London, British Beekeepers Association and National Farmers Union). 2020
- Climate change
Moth distribution study suggesting that summer warming is an important factor driving northward range expansions and corresponding increases in occupancy, whilst this is being countered for some species by negative impacts from land management practices and habitat changes, together with warmer and wetter winters, leading to population declines. (Butterfly Conservation, University of Kent, Rothamsted Research; NatureScot) 2015.
Find out more in our Blog
You can follow the progress of many of the projects contributing to the delivery of Scotland’s Pollinator Strategy, and discover more about pollinators and pollination, in our regular blogs.
2022 subjects included the following:
Tiree and the Great Yellow Bumblebee – All smiles on the sunshine isle
Floral diversity to combat pollinators hunger gap – Mind the Gap
Developing open space in a pollinator friendly way – Riverside’s Stirling success
The value of trees for pollinators
Singing the praises of flowering hedgerows
The disproportionate value of ‘weeds’ to pollinators and biodiversity
Nectar Networks – good things happening in Ayrshire for pollinators
Ch-ch-changes – relaxed mowing in local authority greenspaces
Windswept and interesting – St Cyrus NNR flowers and pollinators
A sloppy but efficient pollinators – The red mason bee
Pollinator conference – community groups working on behalf of pollinators
Melfort Park – Clydebank Green Infrastructure regeneration delivers for pollinators
Irvine’s Rich Meadow mix – Scottish Wildlife Trust lead on pollinator progress
Falkirk’s nature network – pollinator parks join the dots
Is the sward mightier than the pen? - Edinburgh’s Living Landscape
Cheaters and Cheated in the pollinator game – Orchids and deception
This side of paradise – Glasgow’s pollinator parks and plans take hold
Home is where the heart is – mason bee tactics
Apples forever – the pollinator and apples relationship
It’s not just butterflies and bees on your flowers – helping pollinators
Tell us more about your Project
Do you have a pollinator-friendly project which hasn’t been mentioned in our Progress Report?
If so we would love to hear from you and acknowledge your work.
Please contact: [email protected].